All's Fair in Love and War
by Adalind
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER IS NOW UP. Ranger's been set up & betrayed. The fall out from his final mission is brutal, & tensions run high as he & his team fight to stay alive & remove the threat to their very existance. NEXT STORY IN THIS ARC COMING SOON.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: They're not mine, they're hers, unless you don't recognize them, then they're mine. Lots of bad language and smut from the start. And if the thought of Ranger even looking at another woman makes you vomit, don't read this. You have been warned so don't come crying to me later or ship me to Outer Mongolia.

A/N: Many thanks to Beth & Trish for proof reading, suggestions and beating the British-ness out of me to make this sound more in character. Thank you ladies, I couldn't have done it without you.

* * *

It was early afternoon on a Sunday when I finally eased my new F-450 Lariat into the Rangeman underground parking garage in my Boston building. I'd had to push myself hard, but managed to make the trip from Trenton without stopping.

Shit! What a fucking mess. It was my first day off in weeks and early this morning I had a call from a contact in the government. He'd said that there was a rumour going around that they were going to call a marker in; the grapevine was going haywire and this mission was big, nasty and terminal. I'd thanked him for the Intel, but informed him that I really didn't care as the government dragged me into this kind of shit all the time.

"No." The guy had said. "You don't understand. This is payback for Phoenix."

I thought that my heart had stopped beating. Black spots were dancing in front of my eyes as I hung up the phone. I had collapsed back onto my bed and mentally unpacked those painful memories I had put away eight years ago.

Operation Phoenix. Operation Fuck Up, was more like it. My team was dropped in the middle of Afghanistan only to find out that the Intel we had was wrong, very wrong. The middle of nowhere with little resistance turned out to be the middle of nowhere with a rebel base. Pete was dead within seconds, one bullet to the head and one to the chest. We were seriously out gunned and the enemy managed to capture Bobby, Lester and his older brother, Manny. With one man dead and three already captured, Tank, Snake, Bones and I had no choice but to retreat. My commander was not impressed with our situation. He ordered us to a safe pick up point and told me to forget about the rest of my team. I can still remember his words over the radio.

"They're as good as dead, Captain. The army is not going to waste resources trying to get them out. You all knew the risks associated with this mission."

I was furious. There was no way I was leaving any of my men behind. We had made a pact and I wasn't about to break it. I had told my commander I was going AWOL to rescue my team and that I would take full responsibility for the rescue attempt. He had told me that if I disobeyed his orders then one day I would pay. I would pay with my life, instead of my team paying with their lives now.

It took us five days to scope the place out and extract our men. Our ammo was low; we had a few grenades and a couple kilos of Semtex. Not that any of that mattered. We were too late and I'd let them down. Captain Manoso, the fearless army ranger with a 100 mission success rate had failed. Manny died in his brother's arms only minutes before we got to them. They'd been beaten, starved, tortured and put through hell. However, what made my heart break was the look is Lester's eyes as he stared at his dead brother. Blank. Empty. Cold. When Manny died, it seemed as if part of Lester's soul went with him.

My own cousin was dead and his little brother was never the same again. Lester's mother was furious. She blamed me for taking away her favorite son and Lester blamed himself for letting it happen. For years he walked round a shell of his former self, prone to flashbacks and meltdowns.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. For eight years I had lived with the knowledge that at some point they would collect on their end of the bargain. An eye for an eye….

I was always mentally prepared for the possibility that one day I wasn't going to come home, but had always hoped that it would never happen. Sure, I had worked for the government for a long time, but my contract was nearly up and I wasn't going to renew it. I knew that and so did they.

So, what do you do with an agent who's never played by the rules and knows too many of your secrets to be let go? Send him on a suicide mission. Wrap up every loose end neatly. Payback for "Phoenix" and all that sensitive information I knew. But I wasn't going to go quietly; Ranger Manoso had just as much respect for authority as Captain Manoso had when my life or my men's lives where on the line. I figured that I had a few days to find out what they where up to and feed that Intel to my team. Maybe, just maybe I could get out of this alive. This meant that I had to hack Black Ops files. I couldn't do that, but I knew a girl who could.

* * *

I used my key fob to call the elevator in the parking garage. Once inside I used what looked like a credit card to access the hidden control panel and hit the button for the sub basement. Caution was a way of life for me, but Bailey was closer to fanatical. She was one of the most cautious people I knew and she would already be aware of my arrival. Four years on a government hit list had made her paranoid, but she was right, they really were out to get her.

When the elevator car finally shuddered to a stop at the sub level the doors slid open revealing a narrow corridor lit only by red emergency lighting. There were five doors down here. The two to the left housed the boiler room and the back up generators. The two on the right contained extra holding cells and the armoury for all our slightly illegal gear. Behind door number five, at the end of the hall, Bailey spent most of her time hacking into every secret ever stored on a computer or planning for her next assassination contract.

There was no simple lock on the steel bombproof door. You needed to pass a fingerprint scan, a retinal scan and enter a sixteen digit code, but not in that order. Bailey was one sneaky bitch, as you had to use your left eye for the scan, rather than the usual right. The finger print used was the little finger of your left hand and you had to leave a twelve second gap between digit fifteen and digit sixteen on the key pad. Despite all these measures, this was on camera too. Sometimes I wished she would just open the door, as she would know by now it was me.

Finally the door lock clicked open and I had to shove the heavy metal barrier with my shoulder to get it to open. I pushed it just enough to squeeze into the room and once inside I pushed it back into the frame and it shut with a clang.

The apartment hadn't changed since the last time I was here and I hated it. The walls were painted a deep red, the ceiling and carpeting were black and there were no windows. I would have confessed all my secrets to anyone after forty-eight hours locked alone down here, but somehow the cell-like nature of the room never bothered Bailey.

The apartment, if you could call it that, was open plan and about 1800 square feet. The lounge area was on the right. The black leather sofa was covered in a red and black throw, the coffee table and entertainment unit were also black and every available surface was littered with books and DVDs. The small bathroom was beyond that, separated from the room by large glass bricks.

Next to the door on the left there were banks of computers, monitors, servers and technical gizmos. There was more hardware down here than in all of the Rangeman control rooms put together. The far left corner played host to a huge bed with a black and red quilt. It was piled high with black, red and white cushions. At the bottom of the bed there was a stack of metal weapons cases. Sometimes I wondered what she kept in those containers and the rest of the time I felt I was better off not knowing. The only other item of furniture in the far corner was a small antique dark wood chest of drawers that looked slightly out of place with all the modern furniture.

The tiny U shaped kitchen was squashed between the sleeping area and the computers. It was small and functional with black marble tops and black cupboards. Its main purpose was for brewing coffee, making toast and for somewhere to put the huge wooden fruit bowl that was always half empty. Kind of like Steph's kitchen before she moved in with Morelli, I considered with a grin, except she'd had a cookie jar instead of a fruit bowl and Bailey would never keep her gun in the fruit bowl.

Bailey was leaning her back against the far counter watching me, a small smile on her lips. She was wearing purple boxer shorts and a black t-shirt with the sleeves chopped off. The slogan on the front of the shirt read "I'm only wearing black until they invent a darker color." I'd bought it for her birthday a couple of years ago. She looked like she'd just rolled out of bed. Working alone down here meant she kept to her own hours. Her black waist length curls were dishevelled, there were dark circles under her bright green eyes and her skin was frighteningly pale due to lack of sunlight.

Without a word to me she turned and finished fixing the coffee she must have started brewing when the alarms went off as I accessed the hidden panel in the elevator. As she bent to pick a carton of milk from the fridge her t-shirt pulled up, revealing a small portion of her lower back. The skin was tattooed with intricate black knot work designs. I could see the swell of her breast through the armhole in the shirt and more Celtic art flowed over that soft skin. Designs peeked out from under the boxers on her left thigh and spirals flowed down her left arm to the elbow. I once asked her about the tattoos and if they had any significance. She simply replied that every life she took had a blood price and that was how she chose to pay it.

She stood up clutching the milk in her hand, oblivious to my stare.

"Coffee?" She asked in that quiet voice of hers. She'd lived in America for 17 years, but had managed to keep a soft Irish lilt in her voice, betraying her country of birth.

I gave her a small smile. "Sure."

She studied my face, cocking her head to one side, her brow furrowed. She turned away again and finished fixing the two cups of coffee. I walked into the kitchen and leaned against the cabinets opposite her, arms folded over my chest and legs crossed at the ankles. I took the warm mug that Bailey thrust at me. She narrowed her eyes at me and then took a huge gulp of her own drink.

"Talk." She demanded.

I stared at her, giving her my blank face. She stared back and raised an eyebrow. The silence in the room was only disturbed by the soft hum of the computers. This could go on a while. Hardened criminals would be quaking in their boots, but Bailey could meet my most intimidating stare head on. I was surprised when she eventually broke the silence.

"Damn it, Ric! I've spent all night digging that fuckwit, Silvio out of the shit. It took me nine hours to sort out the mess he made of hacking into the FBI's files. And now, after two hours sleep you turn up. I know you too well, this isn't a social call. I shudder to think what dark shit you want me to dig up from God knows where. Plus, I have no doubt that you're gonna want the info yesterday so you'll expect me to work my arse off till I'm done, letting me off for a five second piss break every eight hours. And that's if you're feeling generous."

Fuck. I had forgotten just how well she could read me. To 99.9 of people my blank face gave nothing away. Just my luck that Bailey was in the small percentage of those who could always tell my feelings, no matter how hard I tried to hide them.

I gave her the 200-watt smile. "How do you know this isn't a social call, amante?"

Bailey sighed. "Honey, if this was purely a social call, I'd already be naked and flat on my back and we'd be going at it like rabbits. You don't usually waste time on coffee if you're here for sex."

Yeah, I really was that transparent round her. And she was making me sound like the bastard I was. I tried the blank look again, hoping it worked this time.

"You only think I come here for sex or information?" She was way more valuable than that, not that I'd ever tell her.

She shrugged in response and turned away from me quickly, throwing the remains of her coffee in the sink. After swiftly rinsing the cup she set it on the draining rack with a thud making the couple of glasses there rattle alarmingly.

Great. The one person who can help me and I think she's got PMS.

"Bailey."

She turned back and looked at me. "Look, Ric… I work for you. It's my job to hack information for you, so don't worry about it. And in case you hadn't noticed, if I didn't want you in my bed I'd have kicked your ass out the door long before this."

"Don't pull that employer/employee shit on me, Bailey." I growled.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked me right in the eyes. "Ric, we're friends, good friends, and I honestly don't mind you coming to me if you need someone to talk to or someone to hold you in the dark once in a while. I wish you would learn that it's o.k. to lean on someone every now and then. Despite what others may think, I know you're not really Batman. Please, I just wish you would talk to me and maybe I can help you fix what ever it is that's haunting your soul."

I opened my mouth to protest that there was nothing wrong, but she cut me off.

"And don't lie to me. I can see it in your eyes, Ricardo"

I sighed and pulled her into an embrace, tucking her body against mine. She was only 5'3", so I had no problems resting my chin on the top of her head. I didn't need to say anything to her as we stood there. She always seemed attuned to my feelings. It was funny how the one person in my life who really understood me wasn't Tank, Bobby, Lester, Rachel, or even Steph. It was a 26-year-old computer hacker that moon lighted as an assassin and had killed more men in cold blood than I had. Maybe that was why we understood each other so well. It was so easy to fall into bed with Bailey. She didn't do relationships. There was no awkwardness the morning after, no hopes and dreams of marriage or children. We both knew that was never an option in our line of work. Emotions like that got you killed.

She pulled away from my embrace and looked up into my eyes. "Ric, please. What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Phoenix." I finally said. She wouldn't need an explanation, as she knew every black secret I kept locked in my heart.

"Fuck! You're shitting me?" Bailey exclaimed, her green eyes wide in horror.

"No."

"When?"

"Soon, very soon."

"You need Intel?"

"Yeah, amante. Anything you can find and fast. I wanna come back from this."

She nodded. "Sure. You want a drink? 'Cause I sure as hell could use one."

I smiled, "yeah. What you got?"

"Beer, vodka, bourbon or absinth."

I raised an eyebrow when she said absinth. "The good stuff?"

"Hell yeah, the best. It was a thank you gift from Bones. Took care of a little problem for him."

Bones ran the Boston office for me now, along with Snake. I really dreaded to think what she'd taken care of for him.

"The kind of legally grey, morally right kind of problem, baby?" I quizzed.

Bailey laughed. "You could say that. Then again, you could say legally black and morally even blacker."

Bailey was very good at cleaning up little problems, like Abruzzi. "You bumping off scum again?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Arsehole was stalking Tina, Bones' baby sister. He just happened to OD on crack one night."

"Did the coroner record a verdict of OD?"

She shot me a nasty glare. "I think I'm insulted, Ric. Of course it went down as an OD, besides, what do you think I am, some sort of amateur?"

"No love, definitely not an amateur. A very dangerous woman, maybe."

"Yeah and you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?" She said with a sly smile.

"Weren't you offering me alcohol a minute ago?"

"Yeah I was. Name your poison."

"A beer's fine." I said as I pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent. She smelled of that mint and tea tree shower gel she used. She pulled away slightly, gazing into my brown eyes. Slowly she reached up with her hand and traced the two-day-old stubble growing on my cheek. She ran her thumb gently down my jaw and then brushed it over my lips. Her other hand joined it and she caressed my face, sliding her hands up into my long hair. She curled her fingers into my black locks and gently pulled me down for a kiss. Her lips chastely touched mine. The kiss started slow and passionate, but built into a frenzy of teeth and tongues.

I poured every ounce of desire and need I had into that kiss. We had been apart for nine weeks; nine weeks too long. She was my sanity. She kept me grounded. I had missed her even though she was only a phone call away. Slowly she pulled away from my embrace and led me by the hand to her bed.

"When did you last sleep, Ric?" She asked.

"Last night." For two hours, but she didn't need to know that.

"For how long?"

Damn ESP. "Couple of hours. It's no big deal."

She put her hands on her hips and looked into my eyes. "When did you last get a decent nights sleep, Ric?"

About nine weeks ago. "The other day."

"Liar. You look like shit. You're burning the candle at both ends again. When the government calls this marker in there's no telling when you'll get the chance for a decent nights sleep. You need to take better care of yourself."

She was right. I'd been working hard lately and getting by on a few hours sleep each night. "How'd you know?"

"You haven't shaved in a few days and when you walked in your shoulders were slumped slightly. Come to bed baby, you need sleep."

I sighed. "Amante, it's just past lunch."

"Four hours, Ric. Four hours to recharge and then we'll deal with Phoenix. It's not going to go anywhere. I promise."

Before I could protest she was stripping me. She placed my utility belt on top of the drawers next to her collection of guns and knives, tugged my t-shirt over my head and unsnapped my combats. I toed my boots off, removed my trousers and socks and fell into bed.

Bailey stripped, set the alarm, turned the lights off and climbed into bed. I pulled her close, her back to my front, spooning her with my arms wrapped tightly round her. As I drifted off to sleep lulled by the sound of her steady even breathing, my mind began to wander.

I thought of Pete and Manny and how much their deaths had affected me. I worried about Lester, wishing he could find something to live for again. And I recalled a night a long time ago when I wrapped my arms around another woman; a woman that was now with another man. The last thing I remember was thinking how I badly I had fucked things up with Stephanie Plum.

* * *

The sound of an alarm woke me and it took me a second to realize where I was. Bailey shifted away from me and shut the alarm off. The lights came on and I blinked, seeing stars.

"What time is it?"

"Five o clock. You want some dinner, Ric?" She asked.

I didn't remember eating lunch. "Sure. I'll cook while you pack."

"What?"

"Pack, baby. We've got an eight AM meeting tomorrow. I want to get back tonight."

"Sorry, I was with you up until pack."

"You're coming back to Trenton with me."

"Oh, no. No way," she said, sounding panicked. "I can work from here. You don't need me in Trenton."

"Amante, you're the best. I need you to help my team in Trenton. It'll be so much easier if you work with them there," I whined. I had her now; she hated it when I whined.

"But…"

"No buts. Go get packed."

"What about Lester?"

Shit. When in doubt, lie. "Not a problem."

"What if he recognizes me? He's going to hate me. Please, Ric. Don't make me do this," Bailey begged.

"He won't recognize you." Well, I doubt it.

"Promise?"

"So, what do you fancy for dinner?" Ricardo Manoso, master of the quick subject change.

"You didn't answer me, Ric."

Damn. "You know I can't promise that."

"I don't believe this. What state is Lester in right now?" She demanded.

I sat up in bed and pulled her close. "Pretty bad. He didn't handle the news about Phoenix well. He's blaming himself. I put him on desk duty for the next couple of weeks. He's too unpredictable to be let out on the job right now."

"So you were just going to let me walk into Rangeman Trenton, while Lester is acting like a basket case and just hope that he doesn't put two and two together and realize that I'm the one who took out his father?"

Lester's father had been scum and the world was a much safer place without him. "Yeah, but he won't recognize you."

"Shit, Ric. If he goes off on one I'm expecting you to deal with the consequences."

"I promise. So dinner? Or maybe desert?" I said with a grin, trying my best to distract the pissed off assassin who was sitting on my lap. Her hands skimmed lightly over my forearms and I let out a groan. It had been too long. We could deal with Phoenix and Lester later.

I manoeuvred her onto her back and stretched out on top of her, looking right into her bright green eyes. For the first time in weeks I felt safe; her touch chased away my demons and soothed my weary soul. That little piece of me that had been missing for the last nine weeks had returned. There had been another woman in my life who made me feel like this, but she was gone.

So here I was, in bed with one of my best friends. We fucked, we had sex, but we never made love. She pulled me down for a kiss and rocked her hips against mine, distracting me from my thoughts about that other woman. My body needed release and I wasn't going to get that from Stephanie Plum, so I took it from Bailey. One day this would end and Bailey would find that special someone, I only hoped she held onto them instead of pushing them away like I had.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

By 7.55 AM the conference room was nearly full. Bailey was still up on the seventh floor, but almost every other seat was taken. Tank had arranged the meeting after I'd finished my council of war with him, Bobby and Lester yesterday morning. Apart from Bailey, they were the only ones who knew about my upcoming mission.

I planned on telling the rest of the guys that it was just another government job, so it was business as usual, with the exception of Junior as he was Rangeman Trenton's computer expert and we would need his help. Bringing Bailey in was going to confuse the team and it might make some of them a little suspicious, but they didn't need to know what was going on.

At 7.59 AM Bailey slunk into the room. She was dressed in German army boots that were loosely fastened with purple laces, black combats ripped off at the knees, a black tank top and what looked suspiciously like one of my black silk dress shirts thrown on over the top to hide her weapons. Her black curls where held out of her face with a length of olive scrim net folded over and used as a headband. The loose ends of it trailed down her back with her hair.

I knew for a fact she was carrying 2 guns and at least 3 knives. With all that hardware on her toned body, she was a soldier's wet dream. Unfortunately, that meant her inconspicuous entrance failed. The room went silent. Eyebrows were raised, looks were exchanged, Steph started choking on her donut and Bobby had to grab hold of Lester's wrist to keep him in his seat. Shit, looks like Bailey was right and Lester had recognized her, though I don't know how he did. Good thing I'd given Bobby a heads up on the situation and he had swapped all the bullets in Lester's guns for blanks last night.

Bailey dropped down into the empty chair between Tank and Cal, slouched back and started picking her nails. She was trying to look unobtrusive, but nothing she could do would stop the stares she was getting. My men were always interested in any new female that worked with us.

I could tell by the tiny creases at the corners of her eyes that she was assessing every single person and exit in the room. Her gaze passed over Lester, who was still fighting Bobby's grip on his arm and she paled. I watched as she flexed her left arm slightly to release a knife hidden up her sleeve and placed her hand on her leg to hide the blade from view. I mentally shook my head. This is going to go to shit. I know it. But what can I do?

I stood up and addressed the room. "Ladies, gentlemen. Thank you for coming in early today. I would like to introduce you to Bailey; she has transferred in from the Boston office."

I went round the table introducing the team to her. She was mostly received with polite nods and smiles. Junior winked at her and Vince and Woody exchanged looks with each other when they thought I wasn't looking. Steph offered her a weak smile, making me feel like a right bastard, Lester shot her a malevolent glare and Cal bumped fists with her while making some comment about her "cool ink."

I really felt for Steph, as there was no doubt that the office grapevine was fully functioning. The graveyard shift would have told every man and his dog that a strange woman had spent last night in my apartment. God knows what they were saying about us behind our backs.

Apart from Steph staying over during the Slayer fiasco and the Dickie mess I had never let another woman up there. I didn't have much choice anyway, as the fourth floor was full, I had no sub basement rooms here and if I put Bailey in a hotel she was likely to get jumpy at the un-secure surroundings and start shooting at shadows. The guys and Steph were just going to have to deal with Bailey's presence. Maybe I could talk to Steph later and smooth things over with her.

"I have a government contract coming up that will run for an undetermined length of time," I announced. "As of today, Tank is in charge. Bailey will step in as his partner."

Glances were cast at Bailey again and at the back of the room someone I couldn't quite make out made a crack about her performance in bed and how good she must be to have gotten the job. Suddenly, Vince yelped as a throwing knife nicked his bicep and buried itself in the wall behind him. Guess Bailey had heard who had made the comment. She was fuming. Yup, things were going to go to shit.

All hell broke loose. Vince had immediately pulled his gun and levelled it at her and his partner Woody had done the same. Bailey was standing now and had pulled her Sig from her hip and her Glock from the small of her back. Without hesitating she squeezed off a round from her Sig that grazed Vince's other bicep while keeping her Glock trained on Woody. Cal was trying to be a gentleman by pushing himself in front of her, hoping the guys wouldn't try for a shot if he was in the way, Tank was laughing silently and Bobby was trying to hold on to Lester as he was attempting to reach Bailey over the table.

The rest of the team sat there in a stupor. There had never been a shoot out in the conference room before and I don't think they knew where to put themselves. I remained standing, leaving Bailey to handle herself, but kept half an eye on Lester in case he managed to shake Bobby off. If he didn't calm down we'd need to stun him. I guess I had underestimated his mental state.

It was Steph who finally diffused the situation. I watched with interest as she fished her gun out of that huge bag of hers and shot out one of the overhead lights. Glass rained down over the large table and everyone stopped and stared at her. She stood, and with her hands on her hips she gave Vince the full Burg glare. He shrank back.

"Let me ask you something Vince," she said. "If Ranger had given me that job would you have said the same thing?"

Vince kept silent, but you could tell by the look on his face that his answer would have been yes. Sexist bastard.

"So you are assuming that women only get a job in this company if they sleep with the boss?" she spat.

Bull's eye. Steph had him there. He was starting to sweat. "No," Vince replied. He wasn't looking very comfortable.

Steph was on a roll now. "So you think that any woman who spends the night in Ranger's apartment must be having sex with him up there? Well, I can tell you now that I have never had sex with Ranger in his apartment and I have stayed there on a number of occasions."

Good answer babe, I thought. Crisis averted. When mad, Steph yelled, but Bailey just shot people. Maybe I need to sit down with Bailey and have a little talk about her crisis management skills.

Steph swung her gaze to Bailey, who had managed to shove Cal out of the way, but still had both of her guns drawn.

"Bailey, have you ever had sex with Ranger in his apartment?"

Uh oh, sneaky cunning woman alert, very clever tactics babe. Good job we got in late last night and crashed, otherwise this could have gotten ugly. I'd like to think Bailey wouldn't shoot Steph, but you never knew with her. It reminded me why she worked alone; in Boston.

Bailey looked straight into Steph's eyes, blank face in place. "No," was her reply.

Madre de Dios. If this carries on I think I'll be glad to get out of here and on this mission. My staff are pulling guns on each other and my only two female employees are either about to start a bitch fight or go out and buy donuts and start discussing the size of my dick. I sat down and kicked Tank in the shin. He pulled himself together and thumped his fist on the table to get everyone's attention.

"Back to work everyone. Bobby, go patch Vince up and when you're done I want to see you both in my office. Lester, Bailey, my office now. Junior, my office in 10 minutes.

Tank strode out of the room then walked straight back in again. He zeroed in on Woody. "Get this shit cleared up," he barked, indicating the shattered light fitting.

My men stood up and filed out of the room in silence. It was a first to see them speechless, it made a nice change. Bailey re-holstered her guns and went to dig her knife out of the wall at the other end of the room. Steph put her gun back in her pocket book, caught my eye, started to say something and then stopped herself. She turned on her heel and stomped out of the room. Fuck. I'd have to deal with her later.

While my attention had been on Steph, Lester had approached Bailey. He'd shoved her face first against the wall, his body was flush with hers with his arms boxing her in with a hand either side of her head, palms flat on the wall. He whispered something in her ear and walked away. With a shaking hand Bailey pulled her knife from the wall.

"What did he say?" I asked.

Bailey swallowed and looked away. "Nothing."

* * *

I went down the corridor to Tank's office with Bailey trailing along behind me. Tank sat behind his desk and Lester stood next to the door, arms folded and legs crossed at the ankles. He looked like hell. His long light brown hair was coming loose from its braid, he hadn't shaved this morning and he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. I wouldn't be surprised if he had slept in them.

I dropped down into the guest chair and Bailey took up station in the far corner, leaning against the wall. I didn't think it was a coincidence that she has put me between her and Lester. Bobby came in with Vince behind him. Both Vince's t-shirt sleeves had been cut off and he had white bandages round each bicep.

Tank looked up at Bobby.

"Flesh wounds. Nothing but scratches," he replied.

Tank turned his gaze on Vince. "Desk duty, graveyard shift for the next two weeks, you and that idiot partner of yours."

Vince glared at Bailey. "She threw a fucking knife at me and shot me!"

Tank stood up, towering over Vince. "You should be thankful she's such a good aim. If in two weeks you still can't keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself then I suggest that you either ask for a transfer or look for another job."

Vince nodded and stamped out of the office.

Tank walked over to Bailey and pulled her into a bear hug. "Good to see you again, little girl," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

Tank was the only other person in the Trenton office who had worked with Bailey in the past. They had got on well and I didn't see any problems with them working together. They were complete opposites, but then again that was why I had always worked well with Tank. Bailey was like me and I knew that we could never work well together for a long period of time. Tank and I were like fire and ice but Bailey and I were like ice and frozen water.

"I have no idea how long I have until I get the phone call. I need to meet with my lawyer this afternoon, but after that I'm gonna start sifting through any Intel we get," I said.

No one said anything, but I knew that the three guys in the room were still a bit numb from the news about Phoenix. They had all been there and as I expected Lester was taking it the hardest. It hadn't helped that he had recognized Bailey and only time would tell how his mental state would hold up.

We were wasting time. "Lester, go do some digging on all our inside contacts. Bailey, go get your stuff out of my truck and set up in my office. Bobby, go give her a hand," I ordered.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind Bobby and Bailey, Lester lost it. "What the fuck are you doing, Ric? Don't you know who the fuck she is?" he screamed.

I let him rant, figuring that if he was really unfit to be in work then we might as well establish that sooner rather than later. Placing my hands on his shoulders I spoke calmly and quietly, "Lester, I need you man. You have to put all your personal problems to one side and help me."

"If I hadn't gotten captured…" he whispered.

I shook him forcefully to snap him out of his flashback. "And if I hadn't taken the mission in the first place… Don't play the "what if" game with me, cousin. What's done is done. I can't change the past. I can't bring Manny back and I can't change what happened with your father either."

"She's a killer, Ric."

"Look round this room, Lester. We all deal in death. You work with killers every day."

"I know, but she's a fucking assassin. They have no moral code, it's just about money."

I sighed. God forgive me for what I was about to do. "You care about Steph?" Lester nodded. "You remember Abruzzi?" He nodded again. "You remember what he did to Steph?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "But that was different, man. That was the right thing to do."

I rested my forehead against his and took a deep breath. "I didn't kill Abruzzi." Pulling back slightly, I looked in his cornflower blue eyes; they were wide with shock.

"But I thought…" he trailed off.

"You thought wrong, bro. I was here in this building that night. I never left. Too many people knew I wanted him dead, so I asked Bailey to take care of it for me."

"She killed him for you, for money?"

"No, Les. She killed him for Steph and for every other woman he had ever hurt. She did it for free. It was the same with your father. Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that he deserved to live."

I pulled away and walked out of the office, praying to God that my words would have some effect on my cousin.

* * *

It was after lunch by the time I got back from my lawyer's office. Steph's reaction had troubled me all morning and I had decided that I needed to clear the air with her. She was sitting in her cubical printing out a report and sipping a cup of coffee.

"Babe."

She turned round and looked at me. Annoyance passed over her face before she finally settled on the blank look she had been perfecting recently. That was the only trait she had picked up from my men in the ten months she had been working here. She still hated her gun and had to be lured to the gym with the promise of donuts. Sometimes I wondered why she continued to work in this line of business when she had so little regard for her own safety. At least Morelli was off the Maalox now that she was working here and she hadn't attracted any psychos lately.

"Ranger," she said.

You want to grab some dinner with me tonight?" I asked.

"No, I have plans," she replied curtly.

"Lunch, tomorrow?"

"I think I'm meeting the girls."

"Dinner tomorrow, then?"

"There's a Rangers game on."

I was getting nowhere. "You can't avoid me, Babe. We are going to talk."

I turned and walked away and when she thought I was out of earshot she let out a curse and something heavy thudded against her cubby wall. For a woman living with another man she was acting a little green around the edges. I guess she didn't like it now the shoe was on the other foot. I thought she'd moved on, maybe not. Interesting.

I walked across the control room and pushed my office door open. It seemed things had changed while I was out. My desk had been pushed into the far corner and it was filled with a load of computer equipment. Bailey was sat at it working on a laptop. Junior's desk had been moved into the opposite corner. Wires trailed over the floor connecting all the hardware together and a printer was sat on my oak coffee table. Junior never stopped hammering away on his keyboard as I entered; I guess Tank had filled him in on the necessary details while I was out. Bailey gave me nothing other than a small glance.

"Report," I demanded.

Both of them carried on working. Junior remained silent and Bailey shrugged slightly.

"Well?" I said.

"Nothing to report," Bailey answered.

"Nothing?"

"We can't get past the firewalls," Junior said, looking at me for the first time since I entered the room. His brown eyes were wide; he had a major caffeine buzz going on.

"Why can't you get past their security?"

"'Cos they're tracking our signal as soon as we try and breach the firewall," Bailey replied in a frosty tone.

"So route it through a couple of satellites," I snapped. How hard could this be?

Tension crackled in the air. "You want to have a go, Ric? Be my guest," Bailey growled as she pushed away from my desk and shoved past me as she walked out of the room.

I looked at Junior. "What was that about?"

"Man, you really don't have a clue do you?" He said with a grin, taking a gulp of coffee.

I chose to ignore that comment.

"Do you have any idea how good she is at this shit?" Junior asked, indicating the collection of computers with a wave of his hand.

"Sure. That's why I hired her."

"So you know who she is?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's a fucking legend, man."

I looked at him blankly.

"Tell me who you think she is," Junior said with a smug look on his face.

"She's a computer hacker and hit woman."

"And the rest?"

"That's it." I said with a shrug.

"Why've you locked her up in Boston for the last four years?"

I didn't answer, so he continued. "Government looking for her by any chance?"

I still remained silent.

"Four years ago you went on a government job and "Bailey" appeared at Rangeman shortly after that. You were supposed to find her and turn her in I take it."

"Maybe."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "They wanted to neutralize her."

"Wrong. They wanted to give her a job. You've seen The Matrix, well you bagged yourself your very own Trinity."

"She was wanted for 23 known hits. It had nothing to do with her computer skills."

"Yeah, whatever. Money on it she's wanted because she's one of the best computer hackers and virus generators on the planet, not because she kills scum. She brought Microsoft's XP operating system to its knees 6 years ago. Just for the hell of it, just to see if she could do it. You might not know who she really is, but I do.

"How'd you know who she is?"

Junior smiled. "We've been chatting on IM since she started in Boston and she's helped me out a lot over the last few years. Didn't take me long to realize that she was really shit hot at this stuff. There are only a few really good hackers out there and only three of them are women that I know of. In the end it was a simple process of elimination. Don't tell me that information was missing from her government file?"

"They may have missed out a few of the facts," I muttered. What the hell? I knew she was a very good assassin and that she was good with computers, but the rest of this was news to me. I'd offered her a job because I needed someone to do computer work in Boston and it always helped to have someone on the payroll that didn't mind cleaning up the occasional "problem". I didn't realize I'd ended up harbouring a serious menace to cyber space.

I'd not set out to hide her from the government, but when I finally caught up with her after a nine-week chase through16 different states I decided that she would be an asset to Rangeman and offered her a job. Anyone who could evade me for nine weeks had to be pretty talented and deadly. Despite her "wanted" status, Bailey had fallen firmly into my morally right category, as she'd seemed to be doing the world a favor.

She was a hit woman with ethics, cleaning up little problems with the different Families. Turf wars often happened when someone got a little too big for their boots and it was often easier to nip things in the bud before the corpses started piling up. A large body count was never good for business and it tended to attract the attention of the authorities. So Bailey stepped in before things got too out of hand, doing the Mob's dirty work.

"It still doesn't explain why she's pissed at me." I grumbled.

Junior laughed. "She's pissed because who ever is working for them is better than her."

"Shit."

"Exactly."

* * *

I'd decided to retreat to my apartment after Junior's revelations about Bailey. There was nothing to go on so far concerning my upcoming mission, so my time would be better spent working on paperwork. It would make life so much easier for Tank if he didn't have a backlog of files to catch up on as well as every thing else.

I was a little concerned that so much information had been left out of Bailey's file. The government had wanted her brought in alive, but I'd had no idea what their plans once she was handed over. I knew I was acting in my own best interests when I decided to hide her in Boston and I had always been aware that one day my decision could come back to bite me on the ass. Maybe I did the wrong thing and I should have turned her in. My actions had never made much sense, but I'd had a feeling that I was doing the right thing and that had been enough to settle my conscience.

At a few minutes past five I heard my front door click open. "In my office, Bailey." I called out. I could apologize for my earlier outburst and blame it on the stress. And then I could quiz the woman I had known for four years and see if there was something she would like to tell me.

Quiet footsteps made their way across the hard wood floor of my apartment and when they reached my office doorway I looked up from my work.

"Ranger."

"Babe…" Oh fuck.

"I came to return your apartment keys."

"Why?" What the hell?

"I don't think your girlfriend would appreciate me walking in uninvited. I wouldn't want to interrupt anything," she said.

"Going to use the shower in the guys locker room now?"

"No!"

"Well, then you'll need my keys so you can use my shower."

"But what about…"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"But I thought…"

I looked at her, definitely a little green. Interesting to know. "Shouldn't you be going, Babe? I thought you had plans."

"Huh?"

"You said you had plans for dinner."

"Oh…yes. I, er… better go."

She turned and rushed out of my apartment and I afforded myself a smug grin. There wasn't a lot in my life to make me smile at the moment, but baiting Stephanie Plum put a welcome smile on my face.

It was late when my cell phone rang. The caller I.D told me it was the control room. "Talk." I demanded.

"Boss." It was Cal.

"I think you better go down to the gym, we have a problem." And then he hung up.

I switched on the security monitor that sat on the end of my desk and flipped through the screens until I got to images of the 3rd floor gym. Shit. I double checked my utility belt and ran for the stairs.

Bobby and Tank stood just inside the doorway to the gym. The only other occupants were Lester and Bailey. They were beating the shit out of each other in the middle of the mats. While Lester had military training, he still fought dirty due to his teenage years spent running with a local gang. Bailey's style was slightly different to his, but just as dangerous. They were most defiantly not pulling their punches.

"Explain. How. This. Happened."

"I don't know," Tank shrugged. "Cal called to let me know. He must have picked it up on the screens in the control room."

I flicked my gaze back to the fight in the center of the room. They were circling each other at the moment, trying to gauge each other's weak spots. "Who's winning?"

"Pretty even so far," Bobby said with a grin.

"Are you enjoying this, Mr Brown?" I snapped.

"Oh come on, Ric. This was bound to happen," Tank said. "Least it's down here out of the way. I've just scrambled the cameras, but I'm beginning to wish I hadn't. This is one pretty amazing fight; they've been at it for nearly 10 minutes."

A thud and a curse brought my attention back to the action; Lester was flat on his back. It looked like Bailey had foot swept him. She stepped in to kneel on him and subdue him when he grabbed her by the ankle and yanked her feet out from under her. It all happened so fast. Suddenly, Lester had her pinned to the floor and had pulled a knife from somewhere. He was holding it at her throat. Fuck. This did not look good.

Bailey went still and Lester started talking to her in an angry voice, Tank put a hand on my arm to stop me from interfering. I could only hear bits of Lester's rant but I caught Manny's name a couple of times and that of Raul, his father too. It was like watching a train wreck, horrifying. But I just couldn't bring myself to look away.

Lester started screaming something about his father again and then he started to cry. Shit. I hadn't seen Lester cry for eight years, not since his brother's funeral. Bailey reached up slowly with one hand and wiped the tears from his cheek with her thumb. She was talking quietly to him now. I had no idea what she was saying to him, but he let go of the knife and collapsed on top of her, sobbing loudly. She put her arms around him and held him tightly.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Bobby said. "I thought I was going to have to stun him or sedate him."

I shrugged,"she listens, she understands and she never ever judges."

"Sounds like she's good for your soul, man." Tank said.

She was. Looks like she's good for Lester's too, I thought.

Lester's sobs turned to silent tears after a few minutes and Bailey finally managed to wiggle out from underneath him. She stood, offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet. Lester looked broken as she slipped an arm round his waist and steered him towards the door. We all looked at her as she got to us and she simply shook her head and led Lester from the room by his hand. He followed her like an obedient puppy; the fight was gone from him. Stupid, how could I have missed this. I'd thought he was dealing better than this.

Bobby went to follow them but Tank held him back. "I know he's your partner and that you're worried about him, but let him go. Give him an hour to sort himself out."

"I don't know what to do for him. He's gone back to how he was after… it." Bobby said with a sigh, as he scrubbed his hands over his face.

"We let him be. Pushing him to talk about it didn't help last time. If he wants to talk he will." I stated.

Two hours later and there was still no sign of Bailey. I was getting worried. My cell rang: Bobby.

"How is he?" I asked.

"Sleeping like a baby on his sofa with his head on Bailey's lap."

"She o.k.?"

"She's fine. A little bruised, but nothing major."

"Did she say what happened?"

"No, not really. I didn't stay long as I didn't want to wake Les. I'll check on them again later."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Come back alive, man."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Huge thanks to Trish and Beth for all the help and support.

* * *

I was already awake when my alarm went off at 5.30 AM. I had slept fitfully, getting about 2 hours sleep. The mission was lurking at the back of my mind and I hated that fact that I was still clueless.

It was getting harder to function normally as each hour passed; I kept thinking about how and when I could end up dead. Shit. I had never had these feelings before a mission and I knew I would really end up in a body bag if I carried on like this.

It hadn't helped that the other half of my bed had been cold and empty all night. The warm body of a woman next to me would have chased those thoughts away, helping me feel a little more human and a little bit less of a government plaything. I lay there in the weak dawn light and realized how badly I had used women over the years.

God I was a bastard. Rachel had been a one-night stand just before I left for a six-month stint in the Gulf, nothing but another notch on my bedpost. I returned home to find out she was pregnant, that quick fuck really came back to bite me on the ass.

Then there was Steph; sometimes I wish I'd told Connie I was busy instead of meeting their new bounty hunter in a café. I had pushed and pushed until I had got what I wanted from Stephanie Plum and then I sent her packing, right back to the cop.

I wasn't joking when I said that my life didn't lend itself to relationships. Oh, the sex was great, but it was the rest of it that got in the way. Having to answer to someone else, fit her into my lifestyle and keep her safe, was why I was destined to remain single.

When you boiled it down, all I really used women for was sex and look where that had left me. I may as well visit a ho'. Well at least I had the decency not to offer Bailey cash for her services. I'd never let Steph in, so right now Bailey was the one woman who truly understood and accepted me and I treated her like a whore. I used her body for sex and her mind for the emotional support I needed. I was well and truly screwed. I couldn't offer her a relationship, but I couldn't live my life without her support. She really was my dirty little secret.

I had missed her last night, the thought of her so close, but so far away from me had troubled my sleep, or lack of it. I lay there wondering what she wanted from me. Was she content with the "relationship" we had or would she wake up one day and want more? I can't give her that, not now, not ever.

I always knew that Steph had wanted more. That was why I told her to go back to Morelli. Yet even then I couldn't leave her alone. I just had to keep pressuring her, a sick little game to boost my ego. All those stolen kisses had proved to me that Ricardo Manoso could still turn heads and have any woman he wanted. Fucking bastard.

I dragged myself out of bed and threw on my black gym shorts, tank top and running shoes and set out for the gym. Maybe running 5 miles and then beating the shit out of someone would clear my head.

I got into the elevator and without thinking I hit 4 instead of 3. Better just go check on Lester I lied to myself. When the doors slid open I ran into Bobby in the corridor. Like me he was dressed for the gym, but his t-shirt was blood red.

"You look like shit, Ric," he said with a grin.

I glared at him. "You don't look much better, man."

He shrugged. "Didn't sleep well."

"Les?"

"Yeah."

"Did he give you any problems during the night?"

"Nah, not really. He slept like a baby until Bailey tried to move at 2 AM. He really freaked out, bad dream or something. He was fine once she sat with him again. He was still out when I last checked."

"She sleep at all?"

"Don't think so, but she didn't seem bothered. She was watching _"300"_ when I went in at about 4 AM. I left when she started making comments about half naked Spartans and baby oil." Bobby said with a grin. "Lee's one crazy lady."

I laughed, "You've only just noticed?"

"You've kept her under wraps in Boston for years," Bobby said. "I didn't even know she existed until the other night."

I shrugged, "It's best that she keeps a low profile because of her job."

"Hell, I don't envy you Ric," Bobby teased. "When you're not chasing after a woman who's been involved with another man for years, you're sleeping with an assassin. Can't you have a normal relationship?"

I ignored him and opened Lester's apartment door. The flickering light coming from the television lit the small room; "_Triple X"_ was on at the moment. Lester was stretched out on his couch, fast asleep with his head on Bailey's lap. He was covered up with a very familiar looking black and red quilt. Bailey's. She was leaning back on the sofa, still wearing yesterday's clothes with her legs propped up on the coffee table.

Lester's long hair had been unbraided and Bailey was idly running her fingers though it. It was a touching sight as I couldn't recall the last time I had seen Lester let any woman near him like that. Since Phoenix he had kept women at arms length, that mission had killed his emotions as well as his brother. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

Bailey looked away from the screen. "Hey," she whispered. Even in the poor light I could see she had a black eye.

"You o.k?" I asked.

She smiled. "Fine. I've had Bobby changing the DVD over every so often."

"I meant your face."

"Oh, that. It's nothing. I could use a hand though. I really need the bathroom."

Bobby brushed past me. I had forgotten he was there for a moment. He gently lifted Lester's head up so Bailey could slide out and then he sat down in her place. Lester whimpered in his sleep and Bobby made soothing noises and stroked Lester's hair until he fell silent again.

Bobby looked over at me. "Eight fucking years, man. I thought we'd got past all this shit. It's never gone away has it? He's just kept it all bottled up inside, papering over the cracks. What hurts me the most is that I never even saw it. He's my partner, for Gods sake and I didn't even notice that he's still an emotional wreck. I'm at such a loss. I don't know how to help him."

"Give him your support and your love, Bobby. Just like you have been doing for the last eight years," Bailey said in a quiet voice.

Bobby sighed, "It's just so fucked up, Lee. I'd give everything I have to swap places with him. It's breaking my heart to see him like this again."

Bailey leant down and pulled Bobby into a hug, kissing him on the cheek. "Go to the gym with Ric, I'll sit with Les."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Now go."

They swapped places again and Bobby headed towards the door after adjusting the quilt covering Lester, tucking it around his body.

* * *

Bailey had returned at about 7.30 AM when Lester had woken up. I'd commented on how well she was doing despite the lack of sleep; she'd confessed that she'd crashed in Bobby's room for a few hours yesterday afternoon as her sleep patterns were still all over the place. That explained where she had got to after our spat in my office. We'd shared a shower and grabbed breakfast together and she was now sat on the couch in Tank's office while l lounged against his desk. Lester, Bobby and Junior had just arrived, armed with caffeine.

Tank walked in with his own cup of coffee in hand and sat behind his desk. "We got a plan for today?" he asked.

"Same thing we do every day, try and take over the world," Lester piped up.

Tank groaned and Junior looked blank. Bobby started humming the theme tune from "_Pinky and the Brain_." Junior still looked blank.

"My talent here is wasted," Lester said with a grin.

"What talent?" Tank mumbled.

Looks like Mr Santos had returned to the building. He looked better this morning. The crazy look had gone from his blue eyes and he'd showered and shaved. The only sign to indicate that we had a problem was his shirt. It was a plain olive green army t-shirt with the sleeves removed and the neck cut out. That had been Manny's t-shirt from basic.

"Same as yesterday, then guys?" Bailey asked in reference to Tank's question.

I nodded. "Any advances on that?" I asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Lets meet back here at 2.00 PM, unless something comes up before then," I said.

I went to my office to collect some files to work on and Junior and Bailey followed me in. They were having an animated discussion about spy satellites when I remembered I'd not spoken to Bailey yet about her previously undocumented talents with computers.

She looked over at me. "Later, Ric. I promise."

I hate it when she does that. I nodded and out of habit went to check on the control room. Even when I'm off line I can't seem to stay away. Steph walked past me carrying coffee and donuts.

"Still going to dinner at your parents tonight, Babe? Or is there an opening on your calendar?"

She turned and looked at me, her blue eyes wide in confusion. "Er, yeah. You know what my mom is like if I miss dinner."

"Not watching the Rangers game anymore?"

"What?"

"I thought you where going to watch the game tonight, that's why you couldn't do dinner, remember?"

She gave me a Burg glare and stomped off without answering me.

Very petty, Manoso. I thought. Just then my cell rang. It was showing an unknown caller. Oh shit.

"Yo," I said as I walked into the bathroom for a little privacy.

"Hear you're in a bit of trouble, man."

"Who is this?"

The guy at the other end of the phone laughed.

"Winter?"

"Yeah, the one and only."

Winter was ex SAS and I'd run into him on a few missions over the years. He now did what he pleased, where he pleased and you never had a clue which side he was on. It could be your side, their side, or his own side. His moral code had never been quite as strong as mine.

"I might be having a few problems," I commented.

He sniggered. "Has Bailey hacked those files and given you the score yet?"

How the fuck… "Maybe."

Winter laughed again. "I'll take that as a no then. Tell her she's getting rusty in her old age. You're going to one of four and be prepared to get your feet wet." And with that he hung up.

Bastard. I paged a 911 to my team and headed back to Tank's office.

For over 3 hours we sat there and threw ideas about, getting nowhere. We ended up breaking for lunch with no more information than we had first thing. Winter's cryptic message was useless. Junior had gone back to his computer and I'd had Bobby drag Lester down to the gym. He'd been driving us all crazy. Yesterday he wanted to shoot someone and today he was acting the fool. He was making my head hurt.

I found Bailey in the break room, comparing tattoos with Cal and Zero. Christ, I hope as long as I live I will never have to see the sight of Zero's half naked ass again. He was showing off his latest tattoo. I shelved the idea of removing my eyeballs and washing them in bleach, but only just.

Steph slipped past me and made her way over to the fridge, ignoring everyone in the room. Meanwhile, the ink junkies were gearing up for round two of show and tell, as both guys had stripped their tops off. When Steph finished raiding the fridge she turned round, gaping open mouthed at the sight of Cal and Zero half naked. I don't think she knew where to put herself.

"Steph," Zero called out, "You want to see my new tattoo?"

No! Not again. I don't think I could handle a repeat viewing so soon. I needed to get out of here.

"You want to go upstairs and grab some lunch?" I asked Bailey.

She looked me up and down and smiled as she shrugged my black silk shirt back on, covering up most of her tattoos again. "Maybe. I've got a craving for something Cuban."

"Really." I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Think you can help me with that?"

"Definitely, amante." I replied. Not quite what I had in mind for lunch, but I wasn't going to argue.

Steph started choking on the water she was drinking. Shit, I'd forgotten she was there for a moment. Cal slapped her on the back and her coughing subsided.

"You o.k. Babe?" I asked.

"Sure, never better," she mumbled, brushing past me on her way out of the room.

Shit.

"Sorry," Bailey whispered to me. "I didn't mean to upset her."

I could worry about Steph, or I could have a nooner. It was actually a tough decision, but my dick eventually over-rode my brain. I grabbed Bailey's arm and pulled her towards the elevator. "So, tell me about this craving for Cuban you seem to have," I said, giving her my wolf grin.

* * *

I was lying spread-eagled on my bed with Bailey draped on top of me. She was on her front, one leg between mine, an arm flung over my chest and her head was nestled on my shoulder. We were both covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

I looked down at her. "Lee, do you think I'm a bastard?"

Her breath tickled my collarbone as she replied. "Not as far as I'm aware. I thought your parents were married when you where born."

"Smart ass. That's not what I meant."

She was silent for a moment. "Pre-mission jitters, baby?"

"Yeah. I took a good long look at my life this morning and it isn't pretty."

"How so?"

"I treat women like shit," I said.

She gazed up into my eyes, "Do you?"

"I can't do relationships. It's all about sex. That's no way to treat a woman."

"Do you see me complaining?"

"No, but I can't offer you what you need."

"What do I need, Ric?"

"A relationship; someone who treats you right."

Bailey slid on top of me, straddling my hips and pushed herself upright, bracing her hands on my chest. "In the name of the gods, Ric! Stop this now. Stop feeling so fucking sorry for yourself. We have a relationship and you do treat me right. For four years we have been friends; sometimes we sleep together but that's it. Don't you dare start reading more into this."

"But it's all about sex."

"So? It's a two way street, Ricardo. I use you just as much as you use me."

"I've been with other women."

"And? We're not married. If you think you're the only guy I've had the whole time we've been sleeping together then you're deluding yourself."

I looked at her in shock. "Who?"

"None of your business. I don't kiss and tell."

"You're seeing someone else?"

"No, I'm having casual sex with a few guys as and when I choose. I'm a modern woman, Ric. If I wanted the husband and kids thing, I'd get a new job."

I sighed, "Do you think I treat women right?"

"This is about her isn't it? I told you to leave her well alone, but your dick over rode your brain with that one. You made your bed and you have to lie in it."

"Her?" I thought I knew who she was talking about, but I still wanted it confirming.

"Stephanie fucking Plum. If you don't get your head out of your arse then you'll end up dead in the next week, Ric. Let it go."

"I shouldn't have slept with her."

"So you fucked up, big deal. Maybe you should have set some ground rules before your cock took over and then you wouldn't be in this mess."

"But…"

She cut me off. "You string her along for months, screw her and then piss off in the morning. On top of that you told her to go back to the other guy. What was she supposed to do?"

"I did it to protect her."

"Bullshit!" she snapped, punching me on the arm. "You did it to protect yourself."

She was right. It was never about Stephanie's feelings; it was always about my own. "I fucked up with Rachel too."

"Actually, that one was mutual."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Rachel knew it was a one night stand. She wasn't begging for a relationship when you left for the Gulf."

"True."

"So you messed up and she got pregnant. You both dealt with the consequences, Ric. Though you'd have done better by your kid if you'd stayed out of their lives from the start."

"Leave Julie out of this." I growled.

"Then you should have used a condom, Ric. Hell, I still can't believe you where so fucking careless in the first place. You're right actually, that one was your fault too."

I shoved her off me and she landed on her back on the other side of the bed. I could feel my anger levels rising. She was really pushing my buttons. "Get out," I spat.

She rolled out of bed, stood up and walked back round to my side. "Where's your backbone, Ricardo? That woman down stairs has you whipped. You know your problem? You always thought that if you let Steph see the real Ricardo, she'd run away screaming. That's why you pushed her away. Get over it and move on. She has."

There was a thud and Bailey gasped as I knocked the air out of her lungs. I'd gone from lying on the bed to pinning her to the floor and I didn't even remember moving. "Shit, Lee. I'm sorry."

"I'm not," she coughed. "See you've found your back bone again."

"Bitch," I said with a grin.

"Yeah, and? I'm not having you going away, acting like a lovesick puppy. We all need you focused on the job in hand. You need to be able to think with your head, not with your heart.

"I hate it when you're right."

"I'm always right," she laughed.

"I know," I grumbled.

"Any chance of letting me up?" she asked, shifting her body slightly, trying to get out from underneath me.

As she moved she ground my cock against her belly. I growled low in my throat and pinned her wrists to the floor with my hands. "No. Not a chance. Paybacks are a bitch."

She opened her mouth to give me a witty reply, but I cut her off by kissing her, thrusting my tongue into her mouth. She was right; I did need to be focused on work. But a little distraction every now and then wouldn't do me any harm.

* * *

It was after dinner when we got out of bed again. Bailey went back down to my office to get some work done. I been at a loss with what to do with myself, so I'd grabbed Tank and we'd gate crashed a late night re-decorating job with Cal, Ram, Binkie and Zero. It had felt good to keep my mind occupied and it was nice to kick some ass.

By the time we had dealt with the scum on Comstock and dropped them off at the police station it was late. The control room was quiet, only Vince and Woody where on deck and nothing was going on. The light was still on in my office, so I pushed the door open.

It was complete chaos. Paperwork was on every flat surface, including the floor. Bobby, Lester Junior and Bailey were drinking coffee and sorting through the reams of paper. Something was going on.

"Well?"

Junior grinned, "Told you she was good, boss."

"Fucking genius," Bobby said.

Lester shook is head, "I'd never have thought of this.

Bailey kept silent, blushing slightly.

"Well?" I repeated.

"This," Bailey said with a wave of her hand, "Is hot fucking shit."

"Mission details?" Please God, let her have cracked those files.

She shook her head and my heart fell. I was dead.

"Blackmail," she announced.

"Blackmail?" What the fuck?

"Every single government and black Ops. official is watertight. But their kids, oh man. I can't believe the government was so dumb."

"Explain."

She looked so smug. "See, a few years ago you told me about Phoenix and it got me thinking. I knew that one day you might be in need of some dirt, so I started digging. These guys are all clean, even the classified stuff has been sanitized, but they over looked one major thing - their children."

"I don't understand." What the hell is she on about?

"What do kids spend most of their time doing these days?"

How the hell did I know? I shrugged.

"They spend all their time on the internet in chat rooms and forums. They won't tell their parents shit, but they'll tell the world on their web page. It took me months, but I tracked down all the children of anyone important and kept an eye on their sites. I set up a load of different identities and started chatting with them. The paperwork is a copy of every conversation I have ever had with those kids. You name it; it's in there. Drugs, theft, underage sex."

"That won't be enough."

"Oh, there's more. I haven't told you about the good stuff yet. Seems like some of these kids knew more than their parents were aware of. Affairs, embezzlement, and dirty tricks… the list is endless. Once I got to know the targets, I'd send them a virus. Kid freaks out and then I'd send them an IM telling them that they'd given me the virus too, but I knew how to get rid of it. I'd talk them into giving me remote access to their computers and then I would copy their hard drives. I have enough information downloaded from their computers and from IM conversations to make a lot of people feel very uncomfortable."

I guess that harbouring a wanted felon for four years had finally paid off. "So now what?" I asked.

"We wait for them to contact you and then you drop a small amount of that info in their lap, telling them you have a lot more. Tell them that if they want you to do this mission then it's on your terms, not theirs. If they won't play ball then you'll make public the rest of the information."

Bobby was right. Pure fucking genius.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter gave me hell and I couldn't have got through it without help and support from Beth and Trish. Cheers, ladies.

* * *

When my alarm went of at 5.30 AM it woke me with a start. It had been past 2.00 AM when I made it to bed. I groaned and turned the damn thing off. There was nothing going on that couldn't wait till 7.00 AM. I rolled over and cuddled up to the warm body beside me.

"What time is it?" Bailey mumbled.

"Early. Go back to sleep," I replied.

"I hate you. You've fucked up my body clock," she growled.

"It's not my fault you're nocturnal," I said, poking her in the shoulder.

"It's not my fault I do my best work after midnight," she protested.

"You seemed to be doing some _very_ good work yesterday afternoon," I teased.

"Fuck off, Ric."

"I'd much rather fuck you, amante."

I pulled her close and rubbed my morning erection against her hip.

"Go stick that somewhere else. I'm not interested," she grumbled, pulling the duvet over her head and rolling over.

"I'm sure you just need a little convincing," I purred, sliding a hand round her rib cage to cup one of her breasts, rolling the nipple between my finger and thumb.

"And I'm sure if you know what's good for you, you'll stop doing that. There's a knife under my pillow and I'm not afraid to use it"

I laughed. "Only you, baby."

I gave up on it and spooned her body, closed my eyes and began to drift. A shrill beeping noise made us both jump. My pager.

"For fucks sake," Bailey growled, burying her head under the pillow.

I grabbed my pager off the nightstand and checked the read out. Fuck. It was a 911 from Bobby; Lester was having another melt down. In seconds I was out of bed and pulling on yesterday's combats. I stuffed my feet into my Bates boots and grabbed a t-shirt off the floor, tugging it on as I strode from my bedroom.

"What's going on?" I heard Bailey yell.

"Lester!" I shouted over my shoulder as I yanked open my apartment door. I pounded down three flights of stairs and flew into the fourth floor hallway like a bat out of hell.

Tank stood outside Lester's room; Bobby was nowhere in sight. Loud crashing noises where coming from Lester's apartment. I looked at Tank.

"He just lost it, man. I've no idea what set him off. Bobby's gone to get a med kit and something to sedate him with." Tank said.

I nodded, stepped round him and pushed Lester's door open. Bobby was right; this place was trashed. Lester turned to face me and I hardly recognized the man before me. His face was twisted with rage and his eyes were empty and soulless.

"You let him die, you bastard," he screamed.

"I know, Les. I'm sorry," I said quietly. We'd learned over the years to talk softly to him when he got like this. For some reason it seemed to get through to him. It worked the other day, but it wasn't working today.

"You were late. If you hadn't taken so long to rescue us then he'd still be here. You're scum, just like the guys that killed him," he roared.

His words cut me deep and he was right, it was my fault. I blamed myself just as much as Lester did. The only difference was that I dealt with it in less obvious ways.

"I fucking hate you," he yelled and ran at me.

I tried to brace for the impact of Lester smashing into me, but he was like a man possessed. He slammed into me with such force that I flew the 4feet across the corridor and smacked the back of my head off Vince's apartment door. I slid down the woodwork and hit the floor with a thump. Tank stepped in swiftly and pulled Les away while I gingerly picked myself up.

Tank mashed Lester up against the opposite wall and twisted an arm behind his back, putting pressure on the elbow joint. Lester yelped in pain but didn't stop struggling and cursing.

Bobby chose that moment to return, med kit in hand. He looked from me to Tank and Lester. "What the hell happened?" he demanded.

"Lester thought I might like to get a little better acquainted with Vince's door. No harm done," I told him.

Lester let out a string of expletives and tried to maneuver enough to kick Tank, but he was fighting a losing battle. The big guy had too much size and strength over him.

Bobby looked at Lester again. "Les, I'm going to give you something to help calm you down." He removed a syringe from the box at his feet and advanced on his partner.

Lester renewed his struggling and was in serious danger of breaking his arm if he didn't stop. I could see Tank's hold on him slipping as he was thinking the same thing. "Damn it, man. You're gonna hurt yourself," he growled, trying to use more of his own weight to pin Lester to the wall.

Bobby tried to get a grip on Lester's free arm so he could inject him, but couldn't get close enough. "Christ, Tank. Hold him still," he yelled.

"Just fucking stun him," Tank spat back.

"I can't stun him and then sedate him, you idiot. For Christ's sake Ric! Get your ass over here and help," Bobby snarled.

I shook off my shock and stepped in to help. Lester was strong; 6"3' of solid muscle. When he got like this he was damned near impossible to control without hurting him. Tank managed to grab hold of his other arm so I could capture the one he had just come so near to breaking and we managed to kick his feet out from under him and wrestle him to the floor. Lester was hysterical now, tears streaming down his face and soaking into the hall carpet, but at least we had immobilized him. Tank was using most of his body weight to hold his body down, while I was pinning his arms. Bobby knelt down next to his head and pulled the cap of the syringe off with his teeth.

A loud thud at the end of the hall made us all look up. The door had been thrown open with such force that it had smacked into the wall. Bailey was stood in the doorway and she looked pissed. Her green eyes were wide and filled with anger. "Stad! Na dean sin!" she yelled.

"What the fuck?" Bobby snarled. "This doesn't concern you, Lee"

She advanced down the hall, her bare feet making no sound on the floor. "Dun do bheal!" she growled at Bobby.

She stopped directly in front of us. "Can I help you?" I asked her, confused at her outburst. What the fuck was she doing interfering?

"In the name of the gods, Ric! What the hell are you doing?"

"Lee, he's sick. He needs help," Bobby answered for me.

"I agree that he's sick. I agree that he needs help. But this is not helping," she ground out.

I looked back at Les. He had finally stopped struggling, but was still crying. Bobby still had the syringe in his hand, but was hesitating.

"Little girl," Tank responded. "He won't go for counseling. There's nothing we can do for him anymore."

"Bollocks!" She spat. "Look at him. Look what you are doing to him."

She was so mad. I don't think I had ever seen her like this. She put a hand on her hip and rounded on Bobby, poking him in the chest. "You of all people should know better. You were there. You know what he went through."

"What the fuck do you know?" Bobby yelled at her. "I didn't see you there in that godforsaken shit hole. Why don't you just piss off back to Boston? We don't need you here. I'm sure Ric can find someone else to screw."

Bobby rocked back on his knees as Bailey's fist connected with his jaw. "What the fuck do I know?" she growled.

She snapped then. "I know that a man I care about often wakes up in the night in a cold sweat, unsure of where the hell he is and sometimes goes as far as pulling a gun on me because he thinks I'm the enemy. And I know that his own cousin is scared to sleep at night because when he closes his eyes all he can see is his dead brother. What about you, Bobby? How well do you sleep at night?"

"Bitch!" he hissed at her.

She shrugged. "Yeah, and? What concerns me at this moment is your partner, the man who trusts you to watch his back. Ask yourself this: If the roles were reversed would you want him to do this to you?"

Bobby looked down at Lester, spread-eagled and pinned to the floor. Hell, I didn't know about Bobby, but I was feeling pretty shitty myself right now. "Fuck!" he yelled and threw the syringe across the hall.

Tank and I looked at each other and we both let go of Lester, who instinctively rolled onto his side and curled up into the fetal position. Bobby reached out to smooth the hair out of his partner's face, but Lester shrunk from his touch. Bobby snatched his hand away as if he had been burned.

Bailey dropped down to the floor and sat by Lester's head. She gave Bobby a sympathetic look as she brushed Lester's hair behind his ear. She looked up at me. "Ric, can you go see if my quilt is still in Les' room? And if so, can you bring it out here for me?"

I left them all in the hall and went into Lester's room. The whole place was wrecked. Furniture had been overturned, cabinets emptied and there were a couple of holes in the wall where it looked like he had put his fist through the plasterboard. Surprisingly, the quilt was still on the sofa and looked unscathed.

Lester hadn't moved when I returned. As I draped the blanket over him I noticed the damage he had done to himself. His right hand was bloody and his left forearm was cut up.

"Hey, Sweetie," Bailey said in a quiet voice, "You can't stay here in the hall forever. Why don't we go to Bob's room for a bit so we can get you cleaned up? Can you sit up for me, honey?"

Lester didn't move. "It's o.k. Les, don't worry. There's no rush," she soothed. She gently picked his injured hand up and he hissed in pain. "Sweetie, Bobby needs to look at your hand. He's not going to hurt you."

Bobby reached out and gently took Lester's hand out of Bailey's and started to look it over. Lester snatched his hand away almost immediately and Bobby stiffened slightly at the reaction from his friend. "Tank, could you get me an ice pack from my kit?" He asked. He returned his attention back to Lester's hand. "Bro, can you move your fingers for me?"

Lester wiggled his fingers and Bobby seemed happy. "I don't think anything is broken, buddy. The ice will keep the swelling down. Do you want me to get you some Advil?"

Lester shook his head.

"And his arm?" Bailey asked.

I watched as Bobby looked it over, but didn't touch the wounds. It looked self-inflicted to me: four long deep looking gashes running from his elbow to half way down his forearm.

"How'd you do this, bro?" Tank asked.

Lester remained silent.

"This needs stitching." Bobby said, as he accepted the now cold emergency ice pack from Tank and placed it against Lester's damaged hand.

"No." Lester whispered.

"Les, I need to stitch this, please." Bobby pressed.

"I don't want you to touch me." Lester murmured.

Bobby looked heart-broken. Bailey touched him gently on the arm and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Bobby nodded.

"Les, it's a mess. We need to get this taken care of." Bailey said.

Lester didn't respond.

"What about if I do it and Bobby helps? Would that be o.k?" she asked.

Lester remained silent, but after a while he nodded.

As soon as Lester accepted the help there was a subtle change in Bailey's body language. She went from calm and soothing to dominant and professional in the blink of an eye. "Lester, we need to move you. I'm not stitching you up in the hallway."

She looked over at Tank. "Can you help me move him, big guy?"

Tank nodded.

Lester started to protest as Tank bent down to pick him up in his arms.

"Look at me Lester. Do I look like I can pick your ass up off the floor?" she snapped at him.

Scary woman. She'd turned into someone's mother right before my eyes. She followed Tank down the hallway and into Bobby's apartment.

Bobby scrubbed his hands over his face. "Man, I've got a bitch of a headache coming on. Can this day get any worse?"

"Shit, Bobby. Did you have to say that? You've fucking done it now, man," I chastised him.

Bobby just laughed.

It took Bailey over an hour to clean up Lester's wounds and stitch him up. She worked slowly and methodically and with a definite air of someone who knew what they were doing. Bobby sat close, but never interfered. I guess her work was good enough. Apart from refusing any pain meds, Lester remained silent and sullen through out the entire process.

I cornered Bailey out in the kitchen as she was making coffee. "Hey," I said.

She looked up at me and turned away.

"Still pissed at us?" I asked.

"Yeah, a little."

When in doubt, change the subject. "You did a really good job stitching him up. I didn't know you could do that."

"Had a lot of practice," she muttered.

"I didn't know that."

"Yeah, well…"

"Want to talk about it, Lee?"

"No, not really."

"If you change your mind…"

"I doubt it, but thanks anyway, Ric"

I turned her around to face me and rested my hands on her hips. "There is no price, remember that."

She nodded. "Look, I'm sorry for acting like such a bitch. I was angry."

"And you were right. We were handling the situation badly."

"Do you mind if I sit in with Les this morning?"

"No, why should I mind?"

"Those files still need sorting, that's all."

"I think we can handle that. Right now he needs you more than we do."

"Thanks, Ric."

She grabbed her coffee and padded back into the bedroom.

I fixed myself a cup of coffee and leant against the counter. What a fucking mess. I needed to get Lester's room sorted. I'd call Ella at a slightly more reasonable hour and get her to deal with it. That woman was a Godsend. I had no doubt that this building would fall apart of she wasn't here to look after us.

"There any coffee left?" Bobby asked as he walked out of his bedroom.

"Sure."

"What the fuck we gonna do with Les, man?" he said with a sigh.

I really had no idea. I shrugged, "You're the medic, you tell me."

"I'm all out of ideas, Ric."

"Bailey's gonna keep an eye on him this morning. You never know, he might talk to her."

"I fucking hope so, I just want him back the way he was."

"Don't we all, Bobby."

"Can you even remember the "old" Lester?"

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "Care free, a wicked sense of humor, dependable and a good man to have at your back."

"And now he's just…"

"Troubled, quiet and a fucking liability," I muttered.

* * *

By 7AM I was showered and sorted and ready to face the day. Right now I was sitting in my office with the guys, going through paperwork. The plan was to sort it in order of threat. The more dirt we had on someone, the higher up the pile it went. It was slow going, trying to match the kids to their parents by their weird screen names, but by late morning we had finished. We were just putting the last of the files in order when my cell rang.

"I've got a funny feeling about this," Bobby said.

The caller I.D was showing unknown again. Winter? No I doubt it. Maybe Bobby was right.

I hit the accept button. "Talk."

"Captain Manoso, I see your phone manners have not improved with time."

It took me a couple of seconds to place the voice: General Ellis, the man behind Phoenix. "There a reason for this call, General Ellis? Or did you just call to teach me proper phone etiquette?" I demanded, dropping his name into the conversation so the guys could find his file.

"We have a little job for you. Meeting at H.Q on Friday at 11.00 hours. You will be there."

"No."

"This is not optional, Manoso."

"I said no. You can fax me the details over and I'll work on it from here. If you want to talk to me then you can come here and do it face to face."

"I don't think you are grasping the situation properly. You will be there, that is an order."

Bobby and Junior were rifling through the piles of paper looking for the file on Ellis. Bobby struck gold, flipped the file open and started writing on the white board on the far wall.

"Ask him how Martha is," he wrote.

I smiled. Martha was his Mistress. "Have you seen Martha recently, General Ellis?" I asked.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Bobby was jotting down all the key bits from his file. I quickly read through them.

"Oh, come now, General. Martha, your mistress. The woman you meet every Tuesday while your wife thinks you are playing tennis."

"What do you want?"

"I want the mission details faxed over so I can go through them with the team I will be taking with me."

"This is a solo mission."

"Correction. It was a solo mission."

"I'm not agreeing to this. You will not blackmail me."

"Is your youngest still in re-hab?"

"How do you know this?"

"Oh, I have my ways. You'd be amazed at the information I have sitting in front of me, General. Why don't I fax you over a little bit of it and then you can decide if you are going to let me have those details. It would be such a shame for all this information to fall into the wrong hands. You have an hour, Ellis and then I'll start talking." I hung up and let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

I jotted a number down onto a scrap of paper and handed it to Junior. "Pick out a dozen files and fax them to this number," I said.

"Then what?" he asked.

"We wait."

Junior selected a handful of files and left the room.

"But what if they don't go for it?" Bobby queried.

I sighed. "We just hope to God they do."

* * *

Every time the fax machine had whirred into life we'd all tensed up. As the minutes ticked by the tension level rose. Finally, with 7 minutes to spare we hit the jackpot. Page after page spewed out of the machine. It seemed to take an eternity. I picked the pile up to go through it, but Bobby snatched it out of my hand.

"Give it back," I growled. I was not in the mood for playing games.

"We all want to read it, Ric. I'm going to photocopy it otherwise we'll end up with a riot in Tank's office. Phone Les and Lee. They'll want to read it too."

I followed him to the copier and collected the original pages as they were finished with. He gathered up the copies and we went to see what my fate was.

Tank was behind his desk when we walked in; Junior sat on the sofa. Bobby handed them copies of the mission just as Lester and Bailey appeared in the doorway. Lester looked a little better now, if you ignored his bruised hand and sliced up arm. I settled into the guest chair and skimmed the bulk of the first few pages until I got to the main details of the mission. Fuck.

Bailey was talking to me, but I couldn't hear what she was saying because of the roaring in my ears. I leaned forward, put my head between my knees and tried to remember how to breathe. Madre de Dios, this mission was impossible alone and the odds of pulling it off with a team were not much better. Someone in the government really wanted me dead.

"Ric!" Tank was calling out.

Someone shook my shoulder.

"I think he's in shock." That was Bobby.

Tank spoke again. "Junior, filling cabinet; it's under F."

I heard the metal drawer slide out on its runners and then shut with a clang.

"Why's the Jack filed under F, Tank." Junior again.

"It's filed under F for FUBAR."

Damn right. Someone pushed the bottle into my hands and I sat up and took a long swig of the smooth bourbon.

"You o.k. man?" Lester asked.

"I will be when I've had some more of this," I replied.

I took another swig of Jack Daniels and then handed it to Tank before I finished off the whole damned bottle.

I looked over at Bailey. She looked like I felt, bloody awful. She offered me a weak smile. "Could have been worse."

"Could it? Can you think of any more horrifying ways to die than that?" I nodded toward the files I had dropped on the floor.

"Given time, yeah."

"Well, we haven't got time." I snapped. "Because of the stunt we just pulled, they moved the mission start time. Instead of giving me till Monday to get my shit together we have until Friday morning to get there and start getting inside this group of nutcases."

"Tank, call a meeting for every available guy we've got at 6.00 PM. We're going to need all the help we can get verifying the information they've sent us. I don't trust a word of the Intel they've sent through," Bailey ordered.

Tank made a move to pick up the phone.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I growled. "I'm the boss."

Tank gave me his 'don't fuck with me' look. "Actually Ric, I'm in charge. You're off line and I happen to agree with

every word my partner's just said."

"I'm in charge!" I yelled, jumping to my feet.

"I'm not listening to you, Ricardo. I want you off this floor until 6.00 PM. If you don't leave then I will force you."

"Move, Ric." Bailey hissed.

I glared at her. "Make me."

I never saw the left hook she threw at my jaw, but I fucking felt it. The impact made me stagger backwards. She stepped behind me and put a boot to the back of my knee, sending me crashing to the floor.

"Do I need to stun you?" she added as she stepped away.

"No." I replied, rolling onto my back. Shit that hurt. I'd just been taken out by a woman half my size; I was really off my game. I was a fucking liability right now.

Tank stepped forward and offered me a hand up. "Go on, man. We've got you covered," he said giving me a concerned glance.

The control room went silent as I walked out of the door. God knows how much they heard. I was half way to the elevator when Steph approached me.

"Ranger, can I have a word?"

"Not now, babe." I really didn't care what she wanted. Right now I just wanted to be left alone for five minutes so I could get my head round this mission. It was scaring the crap out of me and I was sure that I wouldn't make it back alive if we didn't come up with a fucking good plan.

"Ranger…"

"Damn it, Stephanie. I said not now," I yelled.

The entire floor was staring at me. Shit. Tank stepped in and steered a tearful Steph into his office and shut the door. Fuck. Can this day get any worse?

Gaelic translations:

"_Stad! Na dean sin!"_ Stop, don't do that

"_Dun do bheal!" _Shut your mouth


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: As always, huge thanks to Beth and Trish for proof reading and helping me put my thoughts in order. And also thanks to the lovely group of people who are sticking with this story, your support means a lot to me.

* * *

By 5.54PM I'd had enough. The last few hours alone with nothing but my thoughts had not been much fun. I know the guys meant well, but I wanted to get started on the planning and deal with this cluster fuck.

I'd spent the last hour attempting to gain my Zen state, but it was not forthcoming. I'd even gone as far as trying out Steph's "thinking position." It seemed to work for her, but I wasn't convinced. I was still in it now though, flat on my back on top of the bed covers. My head was still a mess and I couldn't focus on anything. Right now I felt that nothing short of a bullet would be able to sort my head out.

I needed to get moving if I was going to make it to that meeting. I reached over and grabbed my two guns and knife off the nightstand, rolled off the bed and re-armed myself. I felt slightly better just doing that, they were like my touchstones. God, it's a sad state of affairs when I feel better by putting my weapons back on.

Something on the other nightstand caught my eye. Three guns: two Glocks and a Sig. And a large collection of knives: three throwing knives, a boot knife and a combat knife. Matching night stands, what the fuck? How did I let this happen? I suppressed a shudder. I was not going to over analyze this right now; I had a meeting to get to.

Despite Tank being in charge, he'd been sensible enough to leave my chair free at the head of the table in the conference room. The room was packed; all 38 of my permanent staff were in attendance. I ran 3 teams of 10 and 6 cover, plus Tank and Steph. That meant contract workers were running the Trenton office right now.

There was also the three amigos from my Boston office: Bones, Snake and Bailey. I'd seen them drunk together once, I think it scarred me for life. I guess the guys must have come down from Boston this afternoon. Oh God, I hope they hadn't left that idiot, Marcus in charge. There'll be no Boston office to go back to if they stay away for too long. The guys offered me slight nods and went back to their conversation with Bailey.

Tank let me get myself seated and stood up to take over.

"Gentlemen," he boomed, "We have a situation on our hands that needs immediate attention. A team of eight is leaving tomorrow at 15 hundred hours for a government mission. Normally you would not be privy to this information, but we need to confirm all the Intel before departure, as lives will depend on the strength of this information. I have divvied up the data so you will all be responsible for checking a small part of the bigger picture. Any questions?"

"Who's the team?" Cal piped up.

"Ranger, myself, Lester and Bobby. Along with Snake, Bones and Bailey from Rangeman Boston and Mac from the Atlanta office."

"Just like old times," Lester muttered.

Bobby threw a paper clip at him and glared.

"What's the mission objective?" Binkie asked.

"To infiltrate a group of terrorists on a small island off the coast of Scotland and to take them out before they steal a nuclear submarine berthed there that's armed with nuclear missiles. If that fails then we need to commandeer the stolen vessel and scuttle it at sea on route to the U.S.A."

"Holy fuck," someone muttered. My sentiments exactly.

"This, gentlemen, will be an all nighter. If any of you have any questions at any point then the team will be in here. Dismissed," Tank said.

My men grabbed their folders and left the room. Steph trailed out last, as white as a sheet and looking like she was about to vomit. She caught me looking at her and when I looked into her blue eyes I could see straight to her soul. All I could see pure undiluted fear, she suddenly understood how dangerous my job really was and that I might not come back alive. She broke eye contact and hurried from the room.

I guess this was hard on her, as I'd always tried to keep this part of my work away from her. She didn't need to know what shit I got up to for the government. I hoped she now realized why my life didn't lend itself to relationships. It hurt that she still cared. I had never wanted her to have feelings fort me, as I knew it would end in tears. Yet deep down a little part of me was thrilled to find out that the most important woman in my life was not lost to me yet.

Only my team for the mission was left behind in the conference room. "This mission is voluntary, gentleman," I told them.

Bones shrugged, "Where you go, I go and I know I speak for the rest of my crew."

Tank, Bobby and Les echoed his sentiments.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Thank you. Let me get some caffeine and we'll get this show on the road."

Steph was in the break room getting a coffee. She glanced over at me and gave me a weak smile.

"Babe, I'm sorry about earlier. This mission is hell, but I didn't mean to take my anger and frustration out on you."

"It's o.k. Ranger, I understand," she whispered, avoiding eye contact.

"Babe, look at me."

Slowly, she turned her head to meet my gaze. Her blue eyes were wide and she seemed a little skittish, like she was waiting for me to yell at her again.

"Oh Babe, I'm so sorry," I whispered. I crossed the room in three long strides and pulled her into my arms, holding her close and inhaling her scent. She melted into my embrace and the awkwardness that had been hanging over us for the last few months vanished in an instant.

I felt movement behind me and looked round. Binkie was standing in the doorway looking a little uncomfortable. "Sorry boss," he mumbled as he turned to walk away.

As soon as Steph heard him she pulled away and I felt her closing herself off from me once again. The moment was gone and my heart felt empty.

"I need to get on with my work," she said and pushed past me leaving the room.

I sighed and went to get my coffee. I just wanted today to be over before it got any worse.

When I returned to the conference room the table was filled with maps and schematics and the white board was covered with equipment lists. "Do I actually need to do anything guys, or have you got this all figured out?" I asked. They seemed to know what they were doing. If nothing else, I knew I could rely on my team, they had been with me through thick and thin.

"Just putting together the final details boss," Bobby said.

"We have a plan?"

Snake grinned. "We're going on holiday."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Explain."

"Mac's flying up tonight in his baby with a load of gear in it. We'll load the rest of our equipment tomorrow and then fly to a small airstrip on the Scottish mainland. From there we'll unload into the three vehicles we've brought, stash the Hercules in an old hanger there and go to our base, a small isolated cottage that Bailey found. Plan is to get out and about, track these guys down and play tourist for a couple of days and then take them out. Simple, really." Tank responded.

"How the hell are we going to infiltrate them?" I demanded.

Bailey looked over at me. "Think of it as one big distraction job."

"Who we using as… Oh, no. You are not going to play footsie with a bunch of terrorists," I snapped.

"Well it's a better plan than hijacking a nuclear sub, scuttling it at sea and dying on the bottom of the ocean with a bunch of low lifes," she growled.

"I know that, but I don't want you getting that close to those men."

"Damn it, Ric. Don't treat me like I'm made of china. I'm a grown woman and quite capable of making my own choices here. It's the easiest way to get to them and unless you are planning on wearing a dress, we have no other option."

Snake started sniggering. "Oh man, Ric in a dress."

Bones was covering his mouth to hide his grin and Bobby was laughing out loud.

"I think I need therapy after that thought," Tank groaned.

"I think Ric'd look amazing in a dress, he's got better legs than Bailey," Les smirked.

I looked down at my legs and then at Bailey's. "You know, you could be right. I might have to wax though."

We had years of missions under our belts, but we still joked around in times of crisis. I guess it helped keep us all sane. What's a little teasing between friends?

"Ric's rack is better too," Bobby piped up.

Bad move, Bobby. Never insult a woman's chest, or lack of it. Idiot. Bailey reached out and smacked him round the back of the head. "Ow!" he yelled.

"Have you quite finished?" I demanded, glaring at the pair of them.

"Not yet. Can someone lend me a gun?" she asked.

Shit. I don't think she was joking. All the guys except Bobby reached for a weapon.

"No!" I yelled. "Damn it, woman. Why can't you keep your emotions in check? You've been here less than 72 hours and you've attacked Vince, had a fight with Les, punched Bobby and hit me. I can't have you reacting to every situation in a violent manner. You are becoming a fucking liability."

"Don't you dare blame me," she shot back. "Vince was asking for it, Les started on me, Bobby insulted me and you had your head up your arse."

"Vince was being a sexist jerk. That was no good reason to shoot him," I countered.

"What was I supposed to do? Let it slide?" she snapped.

"Yes."

"Bull fucking shit. If I'd ignored him then he'd have thought that he was right. If the men think I'm your whore then I have no respect. Don't you understand how hard it is for women to maintain any sort of standing in this industry?"

"Of course I understand, but I think you overreact. You can't go around solving all your problems with a gun or a knife all the time."

"You think I overreact! If I'm not seen as a threat or an equal then I'd get walked all over. Look how you treat Steph. If it wasn't for Ella then you'd have her making the tea," Bailey yelled.

"That's not true," I growled. "Steph's treated the same as everyone else. It's not my fault she won't improve her skills. I do not hold her back, she holds herself back."

Bailey raised an eyebrow. "Look in the mirror, Ric. What do you see?"

I had no idea what she was driving at, so I just shrugged.

Bailey continued, "A mercenary, a soldier, a cold blooded killer? Everything that Steph isn't. She won't train because all she can see is you with your perfect body and military training. She knows that never in a million years will she be like you. Give her an achievable goal to aim for and maybe she'll have some faith in herself."

Hell. Is that how Steph felt? Had I really let her down that badly?

"Little girl, you never disappoint," Tank chuckled.

I glared at him. "Shut it, Tank"

He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

I did not like being told I was wrong, especially in front of my team.

"She's got a point, man," Bones said. "If you want Steph to kick ass then she has to do it on her own playing field. There's no point in her trying to play on yours.

I'd had enough; I would not have my men questioning my treatment of Steph. It was all Bailey's fault, acting like a brat and constantly chipping away at my own faith in the decisions I'd made about Steph. I needed to keep Steph safe at all costs!

"Go pack, Bailey. I want you back in Boston by lunch tomorrow. I will not have you undermining me in front of my men. I will find someone to replace you for this mission."

She looked straight into my eyes. Anger and hatred flashed across her face before she shut down her emotions and put her blank face on. She squared her shoulders, gave me a small nod and with her head held high she strode out of the conference room.

"That was harsh Ric." Tank said.

"You better get your shit together Rangeman, or we'll all end up dead," Snake said angrily. He shook his head and made to leave the room.

"Where are you going, Snake?"

"To check on my 3IC and give her a ride back to Boston."

"No. I need you here."

"I'll be back in time for the flight."

"Do I have to pull rank on you, soldier?" I commanded.

Snake stopped and glared. He looked like he was itching for a fight.

"Leave it, Snake. I'll go," Lester offered.

"Lester," I warned.

"Fuck off Ricardo," he spat and stormed out of the room.

"Ugh," muttered Tank as he thunked his head on the table. "You know, you haven't upset Steph since lunch. Why don't you go make her cry again while you're at it?"

Good thing he didn't know about my encounter with her in the break room five minutes ago. Today was turning out to be a very bad day. There was no point in tempting fate, but I had a terrible feeling that it was going to get worse.

Bobby stood up. "I need to go after Les. I don't want him going off again."

"Leave him be, man. He'll be fine," Tank responded.

"Fine?" I muttered. "Lester's a fucking basket case."

"That boy just needs a good woman to straighten him out," Tank stated.

I snorted. "Oh, please. Lester is the king of one-night stands and meaningless relationships. We all know he's too fucked up to let any woman close. Besides, any woman that tried would have to be as nuts as he is."

Tank smiled. "I know."

* * *

I bounded up the stairs after Bailey. Man, Ric was being a prick. I'd always thought he kept Steph around because he was fucking her, but since she had shacked up with the cop six months ago, I guess I was wrong. Maybe that explained why he'd been acting like a jerk since then. I liked Steph, but she was hell to work with. She was a liability every time she set foot outside Haywood, that's why Ric kept her chained to a desk. Less collateral damage on the men that way.

If Bailey was right about Steph then maybe we'd all let her down. She'd never shown any concern for her skills, but I guess trying to keep up with the guys is a hard thing to do. Most of us were ex-military so we already had a head start on her. Something to think about once the dust has settled on this mission.

I though Bailey would go straight to Ric's apartment, but I heard the roof access door clang shut and I found her leaning against the railings and looking out over the city.

"Hey beautiful," I said as I joined her. "You o.k?"

"Go away, Les."

Oh man. I don't get women. Does she really mean go away? Women are complicated. You see, she could mean "go away" in the context of where she doesn't want me to go away 'cos she actually wants to talk to me. Manny's good with the ladies, he'd know what to do. Shit, don't think about Manny. Manny is dead. Think happy thoughts like… like when I was a kid and Manny and I would…. No, no, no! Like when I joined the army just like my bro… Fuck!

Why can't I get him out of my head?

I felt Bailey touch me on the shoulder; her face was full of concern. "You wanna tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"

No! Don't tell her. She'll think you're mad and then they'll make you take those drugs again and…

"Les, look at me. Please, talk to me honey. I can't help you if you don't talk."

I looked at her and felt myself drowning in those beautiful green eyes. I remember those eyes; they were the same color as Chartreuse. I'd passed her on the stairs nearly three years ago. She'd smiled at me and I'd watched her ass as she went out the front door to my father's apartment building.

He was a bastard. I knew he'd cheated on my mom countless times and beat her when I was little. One night we just upped and left. I was 6 and Manny had just turned 8. Turned out that my father hadn't improved with age. He didn't give a shit when I hunted him down to tell him about Manny dying, he'd been too busy pimping out ho's and dealing crack. He'd always beat on his girls, but 3 ended up dead, beaten to death when they couldn't bring him in enough cash to feed his own habit.

Turned out that he was stepping on the Mob's toes with his dealing and I guess they weren't too pleased with his killing spree either. So they'd sent in Bailey to sort things out. I'd never have known that he didn't die of an O.D, if I hadn't seen her on the stairs. She'd haunted my dreams and I'd described her to Junior a couple of days later. He'd told me who she was, what she did and that she worked for Rangeman in Boston. I'd always suspected that Ranger knew about the hit before she did it, but he'd never talked about Bailey or my father's death and I'd never asked.

She did a fucking good job killing my father, and that was the problem. I wanted to have the satisfaction of killing that bastard. I wanted to be the one that pulled the trigger and watch him bleed. It was wrong, he should have suffered slowly, not a swift death from crack dealt by some little girl that didn't know him from Adam.

Bitch. She took away what was my right. I should have been the one to finish him off, not her, and I hated her for it.

I looked into her bright green eyes again and felt a calm wash over me. How did she make me feel like this? She was like a drug. One second I hated her and the next I wanted to fuck her. I wanted to kiss her, to taste her pale creamy skin and run my fingers through her long black hair. She made my blood pound in my head and my heart race. Ric was a fucking idiot. If she were in my bed I'd keep her there.

And that damned tattoo of a dragon on her collarbone. I saw it that night and just like now it had dipped below the neckline of her tank top. I wanted to rip that cloth away to see where it went. Did it curve round the side of her breast or curl round her nipple? Oh man, I was screwed. I wanted her now, to bury myself deep inside her and fuck her until dawn.

I couldn't help myself; I just had to touch her. Slowly I reached out and ran my fingertips over the image of the dragon. She shivered slightly at my touch and goose bumps broke out on her skin.

"Cold?" I asked.

She swallowed and licked her lips, "N-no."

I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her close. With her head cradled against my shoulder she felt like a perfect fit. She seemed tiny and frail in my arms, but held so much fire and passion in her heart. For the first time in a long while I felt at peace. I nuzzled her hair with my cheek and breathed in her scent and she slipped her arms around me, drawing us even closer together.

I pulled away slightly and cupped her cheek, gently tipping her face up so I could look into her eyes again. Shit. I couldn't stop myself. I dipped my head down and tenderly brushed my lips against hers.

Something sparked between us and my mouth crashed down on hers. Our tongues dueled as raw lust took over, our hands roaming, tugging at clothing, trying to shed that flimsy barrier that separated our bodies.

Suddenly she broke the kiss. "Les… I'm sorry. I don't think this is a good idea," she whispered.

What the fuck? "Beautiful, what's wrong?"

"I can't… I just…"

Damn it. "I don't understand."

She tucked her top back into her cammies and turned away. "I'm sorry, I can't explain."

How the hell could she do this? One minute she was all over me and the next she wasn't interested. Prick teasing bitch!

"Fine." I growled as I turned on my heel and strode across the roof, slamming the access door behind me.

The guys were still in the conference room when I returned. No one said a word for a couple of minutes. Ric glanced up from his schematics and looked me up and down. It was his pissed look. I'd know him too long for it to have any effect on me. He could glare all he wanted. I didn't care.

"You could at least dress yourself properly after you'd finished, Santos," he ground out.

I looked down. My t-shirt was half un-tucked and the snap on my combats was unfastened. Oh fuck, I'm so screwed.

"I hope you had the decency not to do it in my bed," he spat.

Think Les, think… What would Ma… No! don't go there. Lie? Change the subject? Be honest? I could say that I had just fucked her, but it would have been pretty quick if I had and I do have a reputation to uphold. Say nothing, that might work.

"Well?"

Bingo! Payback's a bitch. "I didn't fucking touch her man, she just jumped me. She's crazy. I went to see if she was o.k. and next thing I knew she was trying to stick her tongue down my throat. I swear that's what happened bro."

Ric looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Fuck, don't blow this now man. Be cool.

Snake snorted. "Lee wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole, Santos. Give the girl some credit, she's got standards you know."

"Since when do you care who she's fucking?" I spat at him.

When Snake didn't reply I cut my eyes to Ranger. If looks could kill then Snake would be dead, judging by the look Ric was giving him. Seems that Bailey had been a busy little girl while Ric was back in Trenton.

"Explain." Ric snapped at him.

Snake shrugged and looked Ric right in the eyes. "You don't own her, man. She's not your woman."

"No she isn't," I heard Ric mutter.

Suddenly Junior popped his head round the door and everyone's attention was suddenly fixed on him. "Hey guys. Where's Lee? Ram's got a lead, but we need her help to double check some Intel 'cos it's out of my league."

"She's upstairs. You sure you can't tackle this yourself, Junior?" Ric snapped. He was still not a happy man.

"No, Boss. She's the coding expert. It'll take me hours to trace the source and she can do it in five minutes. You want me to go get her?"

"No, I'll go," Ric growled.

Oh shit. I'm about to get busted.

* * *

I found Bailey in my bedroom stuffing her handful of clothes into her duffle. Maybe she could give Steph some tips on packing light, I thought wryly. She slipped off my silk shirt, tossing it onto the bed and checked over her guns, making sure there was a round chambered and that the safety was on. She clipped a Glock and her combat knife onto her belt and put her Sig into her shoulder holster and shrugged it on. Finally, she strapped her throwing knives to her arm, jammed the smaller Glock into her right boot and stuffed the boot knife into her left sock.

"Want to tell me what happened between you and Les? Or what about you and Snake? Is he your number one choice when I'm not around?"

Snake was right, she wasn't my woman, yet I still felt a little jealous. Pretty fucking hypocritical really. It just seemed that I had nothing I could call my own, not even my life right now. And the worst thing was that it was my own damn fault.

Bailey chose not to answer my questions. "I just need my laptop from your office, and then I'll be gone. The rest of the stuff I brought with me belongs to Rangeman so you can do what you like with it. I'll swing by Boston when I get a chance and take some stuff from the apartment and disarm the alarm system. You can trash the rest of my stuff. Goodbye, Ranger."

"Bailey." Oh for Christ sake, I don't need this shit. Crazy fucking woman.

"I would ask that you don't tell the government that you've seen me, but that's your call. A couple of day's head start would be nice. Don't get dead, Manoso. It's been fun."

As she slung her black bike jacket over her shoulder her phone rang, playing "London Calling" by The Clash.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath as she checked the caller display on the phone. She looked up at me and then back to the still ringing phone, having some internal battle over whether to take the call or not.

"Da," she snapped, when she finally answered the phone.

I didn't know she spoke Russian. There was a long pause as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone. The conversation then involved a lot of yes and no responses, and I kept my face blank, never letting on that I understood what she was saying. I had no idea who she was talking to, but she wasn't happy.

She turned her back on me and I struggled to keep control of my anger when she started to relay our mission details to the unknown caller. The fucking bitch! Who the hell was she selling us out to?

Silently I eased my Glock from my hip and stepped closer. As soon as she hung up the phone I grabbed her around the waist and jerked her back against my body, pressing the barrel of my gun to her temple

"_I am going to count to 3 and if you haven't given me an explanation I will pull the trigger. Do you understand?"_ I growled in Russian.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks as always to Beth & Trish for editing, butt kicking and support. Thanks also to my wonderful DH for buying me books on Special Forces Equipment and not complaining at 3AM, when woken up to listen to another plot idea. Also thanks to all you wonderful people out there who are reading, enjoying and commenting on this story.

* * *

I eased my Glock from my hip and stepped closer. As soon as she hung up the phone I grabbed her around the waist and jerked her back against my body, pressing the barrel of my gun to her temple 

"_I am going to count to 3 and if you haven't given me an explanation I will pull the trigger. Do you understand?"_ I growled in Russian.

* * *

She didn't move or respond. Shit! I didn't want to have to make good on my threat. 

"One."

Still nothing. She was motionless against my body and I think she'd stopped breathing.

"Two. Damn it Bailey, don't push me. I _will _fucking shoot you!"

"Winter. I was talking to Winter," she whispered.

I twisted her round in my arms and gripped her by the shoulders, shaking her roughly. "Tell me why," I snapped.

She glanced up at me, eyes wide and full of fear. The last time I had seen that look on her was four years ago, when I'd finally tracked her down to a dirty motel room in Arizona. She'd looked as scared then as she did now. I could see it in her face, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"I called in a favor," she murmured.

It suddenly dawned on me that there was a lot I still didn't know about this woman. That had to end, right now. "We are going to go sit down in the dining room and you are going to tell me about Winter, about all the missing information from your government file and about who you really are."

"I can't."

"You can and you will, or I will make a phone call and you can kiss your life goodbye."

"You wouldn't…" she whispered.

"I don't make idle threats, you know that. Now move, and if you so much as reach for a weapon I will put a bullet in you."

Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she pulled away, heading for the dining room.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and to collect my thoughts. What the hell were she and Winter up to? I'd never trusted him, but Lee… I'd like to think that I could trust her. I could feel the paranoia creeping in. Was she a plant? Could she be working for someone else?

When I caught up with her she was sitting at the table, slouched down in the chair. She suddenly seemed very small and I was reminded of the fact that she was only in her mid twenties. Still so young and she'd lived through so much shit. I sat down opposite her and placed my Glock on the table in front of me. "Let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

She glared and remained silent, so I pulled my knife off my belt and placed it next to my gun. "I'm waiting."

Her arm flexed slightly and I knew instinctively that she was going for a throwing knife. "Don't even think about it," I growled as I picked up my gun, aiming at her.

She sat up slowly and looked directly into my eyes, schooling her face into her blank look. When she spoke, her Irish accent was thicker than usual. "My name is Aidan McLoughlin, I was born in Castlebar, County Derry in 1981 and I moved here in 1990 with my dad and older brother. Happy now?"

"Mother?"

"Dead. IRA bombing."

"Where's your father now?"

"Jail."

"Why?"

"He was an assassin."

"Brother?"

She shrugged and the blank mask slipped slightly. "No idea. Not seen him in years."

I put my gun down and clicked the safety on. It had bothered her when I mentioned her brother, but I could push for more info on him later. There were more important things I needed to know. "So next, your government file," I demanded

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, they left some information out. You know, the bit about you being a cyberspace menace."

"I didn't think you needed to know," she said, squirming slightly in her seat.

"You're an Internet terrorist and you've been using my equipment to carry on doing this, I take it?"

The blank mask finally slipped and she looked petrified. "Please, I'm sorry. I really needed a safe place to stay; otherwise I'd have spent all my time looking over my shoulder. I thought I'd lose the apartment in Boston if I told you, so I decided that what you didn't know wouldn't hurt you. I never meant to keep all that from you, but…"

"Bailey."

She looked away, and refused to meet my gaze.

"You think I'd throw you out for that?"

She nodded.

"Baby, you kill people for me, for God's sake. I couldn't care less what you do with your time, but I'd much rather that you had told me from the beginning. What is important is that I have your loyalty, which leads me onto asking about Winter. Why did you contact him?"

"He owes me a favor."

"Why?"

"I've done some work for him in the past."

"Like what?"

"I can't tell you. If I did…"

"You'd have to kill me?"

She smiled slightly, "Yeah, something like that."

"Fine. But you can tell me why you told him our mission details."

She sighed. "I know that you don't trust him, but believe me Ric, he's a good guy."

A good guy compared to whom? While she might trust him, I wasn't ready to do so just yet. "You still haven't told me why you spilled our secrets to him."

"That Intel didn't look right, Ric. I mean the Columbians? It just doesn't make any sense. They've been inactive for years. I called Winter to see if he could check it out. He agreed to help and he's already on the ground in Scotland, scoping the situation out. He was calling with an update."

"And?"

"It's a load of bollocks. I was right, it's nothing to do with the Columbians. It's a bunch of ex Spetsnaz guys working on behalf of some as yet unknown independent party. The government is selling you down the river."

"Fuck." This had gone to fucking rat shit. Ex-Russian Special Forces was all I needed.

"Exactly, Winter wanted to know what was going on so he could make sure that we got in without a hitch. They know you're coming, Ric."

Double fuck. I really didn't want to die.

Bailey stood up and walked around the table. I slid my chair back and pulled her onto my lap, resting my chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry, you were right. We need to go with plan A. I don't like it, but I don't see what choice we have now. They won't think that you're connected to me," I murmured.

"Friends again?" she asked.

"Yeah, always."

"I'd never betray you Ric, no matter what."

"I know. Normally you know I would never think anything like that, but this is a total cluster fuck and I'm having a hard time trusting anyone. I didn't know who was on the phone and when you started speaking Russian it made me suspicious. My first thought was that you were selling me out. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I shouldn't have tried to hide the conversation from you. Anyway, you came up here for a reason. What did you want?"

"Junior wanted some help with some coding."

"Not a problem. I'll take a look at it. We better get back downstairs." She slid off my lap and headed for the door.

"Oh by the way, did you really jump Les?" I queried.

"What?"

"He said that you jumped him."

"Cheeky fucking bastard," she growled.

"So you didn't kiss him?"

"Well… It was kind of mutual."

"You like him?"

"Maybe," she shrugged.

"Maybe?"

"He's pretty hot."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and he's got a better arse than you."

* * *

Once we had crosschecked the new Intel from Winter with the stuff the General had sent though, it was quickly confirmed that the government was feeding us a load of shit. Someone out there wanted me dead and they were certainly trying to make sure that they achieved their goal. 

With great reluctance I stood the guys down at 2AM. Nothing they could do would make this information any more trustworthy. The night shift took over from the contract workers and the other teams left. The best thing we could do now was prepare for the worst and pack as much fire power as possible. I wasn't going to get caught and run out of ammo this time.

Mac was due to land in the next hour, so I'd sent Hal to the airstrip to pick him up. The flight time from Miami in the old C-130 Hercules was about four and a half hours. That damn plane handled like shit, but had proved invaluable over the years. We'd acquired the heap of junk on a mission to Brazil a few years ago, and hung onto it, as it had made flying into hostile countries so much easier.

Even though Scotland wasn't hostile, we'd never have gotten through customs with the amount of hardware we were packing. Let alone all the illegal shit we had. Plus, arriving that way was akin to telling the whole world what we were up to. Flying in low at night in our own craft to a small, unmanned airstrip was by far the best plan of action.

The team was now arguing over equipment. What to take and what not to take. Bones wanted to go back to Boston to raid our basement bunker as we had a lot more supplies there. Tank wanted to empty with entire gun room next to the garage and leave it at that and Lester kept muttering that it didn't matter as we were dead anyway, because the Russians knew we were coming and we would stand out like a sore thumb.

Then we had the problems of vehicles. Our American SUV's would be too obvious over there, so we needed to pick something up when we got over there. Bailey had called Winter back and he'd said that he'd get hold of some Land Rover's, preferably the older and shabbier the better. He reckoned that no one would look twice at them as most farmers used them in the Highlands.

We did decide to take bikes with us. Bailey's Ducati had come over on the back of my Lariat, and Lester's Yamaha was already in the garage. We scrabbled round and borrowed another couple of bikes from two of my men.

The logic was that the roads were narrow and busy, so faster progress could be made on a bike, getting us to anywhere we needed to be in less time. Winter had also said that a group of bikers would blend in with the hundreds of others that holidayed up there, giving us a slightly better cover.

The plan was still shot to shit, seeing as the Intel was dodgy and they knew that we were coming. We decided to pretty much make it up as we went along. It was a first for me and it scared the crap out of me. We'd send Bailey in to play distraction when we knew what these guys were up to.

If they knew I was coming and bringing a team it wasn't difficult to figure out who I would take, but we were going to have to keep a really low profile. Mac would blend because he was Scottish, Bailey would pass too as no one knew who she was. Winter would be fine as well since he was not a known associate of mine. But the rest of us… we were screwed.

Zero popped his head round the door, jarring me from my musings. "Umm, boss? Steph's asleep at her desk. Do you want me to wake her up and take her home?"

"No thanks Zero. I'll deal with it," I answered. Despite the deep shit we found ourselves in at the moment, I afforded myself a small chuckle. They never broke protocol. If my men ever needed to deal with Steph they always came to me first. Did they think I wouldn't trust them around her? If any of the guys had been asleep at their desk then someone would have just woken them up. Then again, my men never fell asleep on the job. Not since Ram woke up at the end of his night shift about a year ago to find that he had no eyebrows and pink hair.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Steph was still asleep when I entered her cubicle, head pillowed on her folded arms. God she was truly beautiful and when she was asleep she looked like an angel. If she only knew how she made me feel…

I gently tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. "Babe," I whispered.

"Mmmm."

"Come on babe, wake up. Time to go home."

She looked up at me, stifling a yawn. "What time is it?" she murmured.

"Nearly 2.30AM. Get your stuff together and I'll drive you home."

"No, I'm fine. You don't need to bother, Ranger, I can drive myself."

"Babe."

"Ranger, please. I'm fine," she pleaded. Something flickered in her eyes: fear.

"Did Joe give you hassle about working late?"

She sighed, "A little, but he'll get over it."

Bastard. She didn't work weekends, she'd never done any overtime and since she'd moved in with him she'd stopped doing distraction jobs for me. So when I ask her to help me out for the first time in 10 months, the prick has the nerve to give her a hard time about it. I really wanted to take Steph home now, just to piss Morelli off. But in the end I knew it would only cause trouble for her.

"Why don't I get one of the guys to give you a lift instead?"

She thought about it for a few seconds and then nodded in agreement.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Someone needs to drive Steph home. Morelli's being a jerk so she doesn't want me to do it. Any volunteers?"

"I'll go," Bailey offered.

"No." God, that's the last thing I need right now.

"I promise to behave. And anyway, I need junk food. You guys hungry?"

"I'll call an order into Shorty's," Bobby offered, pulling out his cell.

"Shorty's?" she asked.

"Best pizza around, kid." Tank said with a grin.

"Cool, write me the address down and I'll stick it in the GPS. I'll eat whatever's good as long as it has no anchovies."

I sighed. With any luck Steph would fall asleep as soon as she got in the truck. "Behave, Lee."

She grabbed the address from Bobby and snapped me a mock salute, "Yes boss."

I pulled my truck keys out of my pocket and offered them to her. "I think you'll be needing these."

She reached in her back pocket and pulled a set of keys out, holding them up in front of me. "Got it covered."

Somehow she had gotten hold of the keys to my new, custom-built TVR Tuscan. "How did you get those?"

Bailey just grinned.

* * *

I was so tired and emotionally drained right now. Seeing Ranger with another woman was difficult. I mean it wasn't like we ever had a relationship, but then again he had always told me that he wasn't relationship material. Watching them together made me feel sick, like he had betrayed me somehow by allowing himself to let her into his life. 

It also made me angry. I'd heard through the office grapevine that he'd known her for years, from before he'd even met me. For two years I'd played this stupid game with him and got nowhere. Finally, six months ago I decided that he was never going to let me into his life in the way I needed so I stepped up my relationship with Joe. I had hoped that he would distract me from my feelings for Ranger, but not a day went by without me thinking "what if."

And now, out of nowhere she waltzes right in, keeping his bed warm, working in his office and going on that damn mission with him. I wanted to shoot her.

I grabbed my bag, switched off my computer and turned round, letting out a shriek. Bailey was leaning against the entrance to my cubicle. "Damn it, can't any of you learn to make a noise?" I yelled.

She grinned, "Need to be more aware of your surroundings, Steph."

"And you guys need some new lines," I snapped. I was sick and tired of being a joke around here.

"What?"

"Oh, never mind. I can drive myself now, thank you. I'm sure you need to get back to whatever you where doing."

"No, not really. I'm on a pizza run. I can drop you off on the way."

I was so not doing this. "I'm fine now," I spat.

"Come on, Steph. I stole the keys to Ric's new sports car and I've been itching to drive it since I got here. It's as sexy as hell."

She steals his keys and shoots people, she really is mad. I just hope she doesn't meet my Grandma; my mother would be ironing for weeks.

"Well, at least I don't need to steal Ranger's keys when I need a car. He just gives them to me," I replied tartly. Oh I was in queen bitch mode. I really didn't like this woman.

She shot me a dark look and I had to stop myself from taking a step back. Grabbing hold of my arm, she pulled me towards the elevator. "You and I are going to go for a ride and on the way we are going to have a little chat. Do you understand?" she hissed.

Oh crap. "Um… s..sure," I stuttered. Where was Wonder Woman when I needed her?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I trailed out of the elevator behind her, rummaging in my pocket book for my gun, stun gun or pepper spray. Hell, even a nail file would do right now. Damn bag, I couldn't find anything of use.

"Shooting me won't solve anything, Stephanie. So don't even bother. Just get in the car," Bailey said, beeping the locks open on the most amazing car I had ever seen. The TVR made the Porsche look like the Buick.

Who was I to argue with a heavily armed nutcase? I opened the door and slid into the soft leather seat. Oh this car was heaven. It already smelled of Bulgari and leather. She turned the engine over and it let out a low rumbling purr.

I turned slightly to study the woman sitting next to me. She was short, dark, practically flat chested and a little alternative looking. Whatever Ranger's type was, she was not what I would have pictured. God only knew what he saw in her. Maybe Vince was right and she was very good in bed.

She caught me looking at her and sighed. "Ask. I know you want to," she said as she pulled out of parking spot and up to the garage exit.

I waited until we hit Haywood and most of her attention was on the road before I responded. "Why?"

She glanced over and then returned her attention to the road. "Convenience. And where am I going? I haven't a clue where you live."

"Go left at the next light. What do you mean, convenience?"

"Ric and I are friends and we both have needs. It's easier than picking up some random stranger in a bar."

Oh please. "Do you expect me to believe that garbage?"

"I'm telling you what the situation is but you can believe what you like. I don't really care Steph."

"Ranger doesn't do casual sex."

She laughed. "So that night in your apartment, what was that then?"

She knew about that?? Fuck. I had no idea how to answer, so I kept quiet.

She continued, "Ric wants you, but he hasn't a God damn clue about how to go about it. He's too scared to let you in, in case you run from him what you finally get to see the real him. After he fucked you, he backed off because he was so freaked out by how much he felt for you."

"I don't understand, why are you telling me this?" I whispered. This was all making my head hurt and I was way too tired to be dealing with this.

"I love Ric, he's one of my best friends and I want to see him happy. I think you'll make him happy."

"Hang on just a minute," I yelled. "You've been sleeping with him for how many years?"

"Four, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"He was seeing you at the same time as that stupid deal he made with me. How can you say that he wants me when he's been sleeping with you all along?"

"Bloody hell, woman! Don't you listen to a word I say? Ric and I share a bed every now and then. We care about each other and we pick up the pieces when one of us has had a bad day. Our relationship doesn't go beyond good friends and fuck buddies. That is the truth," she ground out.

"That's a relationship."

She muttered something I didn't understand in some foreign language or other and pulled over at the curb, shutting the engine off. Turning in her seat she looked at me. "I am going to tell you a little story, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. But I don't see what…"

She cut me off. "Six months ago Ric arrived in Boston late one Friday night. I have never ever seen him so furious in all my life. He never said a word, but his mood was so dark and I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. He walked right in and fucked me, hard. No foreplay, God, not even a hello. He was rough and brutal and I carried the bruises for over a week. I can normally handle him when he's angry, but this time it was different, and you know what? When he came, he yelled your name," she said, looking at me as she finished speaking.

I opened my mouth to comment, but I was speechless.

"A friend called me not long before Ric turned up, and said that you'd spoken to him earlier and asked for a couple of days off so you could move in with the cop," Bailey said.

"Oh my God, I had no idea he'd react like that..."

She snorted, "And then he drank himself into oblivion, and I had the joyous task of holding his hair out of his face while he threw up in the bathroom for three hours. In all the time I have know him, I have never ever seen him lose control like that."

"I can't believe he did that because I moved in with Joe."

"Do I need to spell out to you how much you mean to him, Stephanie?"

"No…"

"Just think about what you want, Steph. Seriously."

"I'm with Joe and I'm happy."

"You sure?"

"Yes!"

"Well then, I suggest that you go look for a new job, because you are breaking Ric's heart. I am sick and tired of you making him miserable. He has to work with you everyday and watch you go home to someone else at night."

"That's not my fault!" I yelled. I could feel tears pooling in my eyes. Damn it!

"You're both as stupid and stubborn as each other. Stop fucking about and tell him how you feel."

"After our one night together he told me to go back to Joe."

"And you did, you stupid cow. Look Steph, it takes a lot for Ric to let someone in and he always wondered how much Joe meant to you. He gave you a push and off you went. You didn't even fight for Ric, you just walked away. In his eyes you'd made your choice."

Oh my God. What the hell am I going to do?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks to Beth and Trish for hand holding, moral support and Americanizing my ass. To my D/H for putting up with me locking myself in the office for hours at a time and also all you wonderful people who are reading and enjoying this fic. Your support means a lot to me and your reviews are so good for my muse.

WARNING: There is smut in this chapter. It is not R/S smut, so if you don't want to read then you can skip it. You'll miss a bit of info, but if you want, just email me and I will fill you in.

BTW – the song is 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Greenday, which would make an amazing full-length songfic. I can't write song fics, but if someone else would like to have a go, I would love to read it.

* * *

It was after 3AM when the conference room door swung open and Mac appeared. He strode into the room and pulled me into a hug, slapping me on the back. "Man, good to see you again, Ric. It's been too long."

"Way too long buddy," I replied with a grin. There was something about Mac that was infectious. No matter how bad the situation, he could always make you smile with his endless enthusiasm and cheer.

He looked around the room and nodded a greeting to the guys.

"Bloody hell, I'm soddin' knackered. Hey is that pizza, mind if I grab a slice?" Mac asked as he pulled a half-full box across the table and grabbed a piece.

"How was the flight?"

He waved his hand and swallowed the mouthful of pizza he was chewing. "S'ok. That effin' thing still flies like a bag of spanners, mind. I'm always amazed when the damn thing takes off and leaves the ground."

Sometimes I struggled to keep up with the Scotsman, his accent and slant on the English language was interesting at the best of times. At 6'6'', Mac towered over all of us in the room except Tank. He was the atypical image of a Scotsman, as he looked like he had just stepped out of 'Highlander;' long blond hair, goatee beard and a knife scar running over his jaw and onto his neck.

He was dressed in ripped jeans so worn they were almost white, a grey t-shirt that may have at one time been black, with 'Runrig' on the front and had a dark green hoodie tied round his waist.

He looked over at Bobby and grinned. "Don't worry, Bob. I've packed the sick bags. Just make sure you use them this time, 'cos if you spew I'm making you clean it up."

"Do you have to keep reminding me about that? It was only the one time, on that trip to Mexico," Bobby grumbled.

"Yeah and the rest," Lester said with a grin.

"Never gonna let you live it down Bob," Mac laughed.

Tank nudged Bobby, "Don't worry, man. Remember that _chick_ in Amsterdam, Mac?"

"Hey, it's not my fault. It was dark and I couldn't see his Adam's apple," Mac shot back.

"The five o clock shadow was a bit of a give away too," Tank said with a snigger.

Ugh. It was at times like this I wondered why I was taking a team. Surely a solo mission would be so much easier and quieter and I might be able to hear myself think. "We're nearly done here Mac. So you can go chill if you want."

"Nah, I'm good to go man, you know me. We could leave now if we didn't have to wait for it to be dark back home."

"O.k, well we were just finishing off the equipment lists, so why don't you go out to the control room and find Woody. We're a little pushed for space around here so he said that you can use his room while he's on shift tonight. Is that O.K?

"Yeah, whatever. I don't mind, you know me. I guess I could use a shower anyway," he said, sniffing his armpits. "Yeesh! Yeah a shower sounds like a good idea. It was touch and go a couple of times over Florida and I was sweating like a bastard."

"Oh God… Someone shoot me," Bobby wailed. "I am not getting aboard that heap of crap."

Mac grinned. "Sucker," he said to Bobby.

"Arsehole," Bobby spat.

"Gullible fuckwit."

"Bastard."

"Dumb numpty muppet," Mac shot back.

"What the fuck?" Bobby said in confusion.

"Don't ya ken, Bob?" Mac asked.

Bobby put his head in his hands and sighed, "Please tell me you are going back to Miami when all this is over."

"Nah, the boss wants me to transfer up here. He sez that you're too old and soft, so I need to come up and kick some butt."

Bobby had gone purple, which was very difficult for a black man. Amusing though this was, I had a feeling that it was about to end in tears and I couldn't have my one and only Medic getting injured.

I stood up and thumped my fist on the table and all eyes turned to me. "Right, let's wrap this up. We can pack in the morning and I don't know about the rest of you, but I could use a little sleep. Meet back here at 0900."

"Umm, boss… What about Bones and I? Where do you want us to sleep?" Snake quizzed.

"Damn. Okay, Vince is on a night shift and so is Erik. Ask them if you can use their rooms. They shouldn't have a problem with that."

The guys began to file out of the room. "Hey, Santos. You got a minute?" Bailey asked.

"Sure," he replied.

I watched as she walked over and settled herself on the table in front of him. They spoke in hushed tones for a minute and then he pulled her into a hug, kissing her hair. He pulled away and Bailey slid off the table, leaving the room. She cast him a backwards glance when she got to the door and smiled.

Well, that seemed to have gone well. No shots were fired and they didn't try and beat each other up again. We were making progress.

I looked at my cousin across the table. "You two sort out your problems from earlier?"

"Yeah. It's cool man," Lester replied with a soft smile. "I'm gonna crash, I'll see you in a few, Ric."

I nodded. He slipped out of the room while I was lost in my thoughts.

* * *

Bailey was already in bed when I got upstairs. I slipped my clothes off, threw them in the laundry hamper and slid into bed beside her.

"Man, it's been a long day," she bitched.

"Tell me about it." I replied as I pulled her close. She rolled over and laid her head on my shoulder, sliding her arm over my chest and brushing her fingers over my nipple. "Did you behave when you took Steph home?" I quizzed.

"She fell asleep. Sleeps like the dead, that woman."

I smiled, mainly at the memory of Steph sleeping in my arms but also because I knew Lee wasn't telling the truth. I wasn't going to let on though. There was no way Steph would have slept when she had an opportunity to get info out of Bailey. "Yeah, she can sleep through anything. I think it's her safety cut off mechanism when the job gets too much," I responded.

"You ever wonder what it would be like to have a normal job?" Bailey whispered.

"Define normal."

"You know, nine to five, sit behind some desk and shuffle paper and then go home to your family in your neat little house?"

"Sometimes."

"Fucking scary thought isn't it?" she murmured.

"Very."

"I couldn't do it, you know, Ric."

"Hmmm?"

"Give this up, this life. I've spent so long living like this that I don't know how to be normal anymore."

I laughed, "I know what you mean. Some of us are just destined to lead a different type of life."

"That's what I thought, and then I heard this song the other day. I don't know… I just connected with it and when I heard the chorus I just wanted to cry."

"That bad? You don't cry, Lee."

"_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me__ my shallow heart's the only thing that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me, 'til then I walk alone.._."

"You feel like that?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Sometimes I really feel so alone, Ric."

"Oh, baby. You've got me."

"That's not what I mean. This is nice, I love sleeping in your arms because you make me feel safe, but I want that every day."

Shit. Here it comes… This is where she tells me she wants more. Fuck, I thought she was different.

She must have felt me tense up slightly. "Not with you, Ric."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and relaxed again. "Why not me?"

She started tracing circles on my chest with her finger. "We'd never see the light again."

"What do you mean?"

"You, me… we walk in the dark. We'd drag each other down. We need someone to balance us out, if you get what I mean. Someone who lives in the light so they can counter balance all this dark shit we do for a living."

"Maybe."

"I don't want to die old and alone Ric, and I bet you don't either."

I sighed, "It's just so hard…"

"What? Cutting yourself off from the people who care?"

"Yeah. You know as well I as do that relationships are hard for people like us, Lee."

She snuggled closer and slid her leg between mine. "Tell me about it," she muttered.

"Something you want to tell me, baby?"

"No, not right now. It's not important anymore."

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her on the top of her head. "You can tell me."

She pulled away and propped herself up on an elbow. "I… oh hell. Snake and I, we… oh forget it. It doesn't matter."

Her and Snake? "What doesn't matter?"

"We were kinda seeing a lot of each other for a couple of months and then I did that 'job' for Bones. Snake couldn't handle it. I mean for Christ's sake, you think he'd understand, but no… He said what I did was wrong and that he couldn't be in a relationship with someone with such low moral standards. Bastard. Tina was a right fucking mess and the cops wouldn't do shit. She'd tried to kill herself so I had to put a stop to this guy. Even so, Snake was so angry with me."

"Were you getting serious with him?"

She shrugged. "Sort of, maybe. Hell, I don't know. I thought I knew the guy, but I guess I was wrong. He wants kids and the whole nine yards… so I'm not the girl for him."

Snake wants kids? Hell, I thought I knew him pretty well and I never expected him to want to settle down. Then again, look at Tank and Lula, they were practically living together. Maybe all this lone wolf shit was over rated after all. Maybe I could have made a relationship with Steph work. Not that I'd ever find out now, she was happily living with Morelli.

"I'm sorry, Lee."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. But if you know anyone who wants a wanted felon and assassin for a girlfriend then let me know."

I laughed, "Baby, you'll find someone. Probably when you least expect it."

"I know… I guess I'll just have to use you for sexual release in the meantime."

I pulled her close again. "I guess you will," I said, giving her my wolf grin.

She slid up my body and claimed my lips with hers. The kiss was slow and sweet and something at the back of my mind made me wonder how long we would continue to do this. I had a feeling that she was going to move on very soon and I'd be left alone again.

I skimmed my hands up her back and upped the intensity of the kiss, plundering her mouth with my tongue. Whatever we had was running on borrowed time so I was going to make the most of it while I could.

I flipped her onto her back and kissed my way down her neck, nipping and sucking on her soft creamy skin. By the time I took her nipple into my mouth and bit down on it, she was writhing on the bed, hands fisted in my hair. I trailed my hand down over her belly and slipped my fingers between her wet folds.

She let out a moan as I bit down harder on her nipple and rubbed my fingers over her clit. Slowly, I eased two fingers inside of her and then slid them back out again, returning my attention to her clit.

"Damn it Ric," she groaned.

I looked up at her. Her black curls fanned out on my cream pillow and her pale skin stood out against my dark green sheets. She looked like an angel: the angel of death. I carried on teasing her and dipped my head down to tug on the ring in her belly button with my teeth.

She shuddered when I placed butterfly kisses along her hipbone, edging closer and closer to her core. Lazily I licked and kissed my way to her clit and when my tongue finally touched her there, her back arched up off the bed and she tightened her hold on my hair.

I continued my assault on her body and when she started swearing in Gaelic, I knew she was close. I bit down on her clit and crooked my fingers inside her in a "come hither" gesture and she screamed out my name as her orgasm swept through her body. She lay there loose limbed and panting and I graciously gave her time to pull herself back together again before we started round two.

Slowly she sat up and swept her sweat dampened curls over her shoulder. She gave me a lazy smile, "My turn," she whispered.

Reaching out, she took hold of my cock and slowly slid her hand up and down my painfully swollen shaft. Shit, this felt so good. I rolled onto my back and she settled herself between my thighs, taking my cock into her warm wet mouth.

I let out a growl as she teased the slit with the tip of her tongue, all the while still pumping my dick with her hand. She reached down with her free hand and started massaging my balls. Every nerve ending in my body felt as if it was on fire, I was putty in her very talented hands.

Suddenly she increased her pace and slid most of me into her mouth. Shit, I was so fucking close. I grabbed hold of the back of her head and pushed her mouth further down onto my cock and she took me without complaint. Jesus fucking Christ…

When Bailey bit down gently on my dick and squeezed my balls at the same time I came undone. I shot my load into her mouth and yelled her name. She sucked and licked me dry and then crawled up my body so she was level with my face.

"More?" she whispered huskily.

I couldn't speak so I just nodded. Suddenly I wasn't so tired anymore and to be honest I couldn't think of a better way to spend my last few hours before this mission. Everything was about to go to hell in a hand basket and I could be dead this time next week. This was by no means the first time that I had spent my last few hours as a 'free' man in bed with Bailey, but I was wondering if it would be my last. Even if I made it back alive, there was no guarantee that she would want me back in her bed.

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her to my body, reveling in the feeling of her so close to me. She wasn't mine, hell Bailey belonged to no man; but deep down I know that someone special had touched her soul. Fuck, if I was right, then that would be one hell of a fiery relationship. I thought there was a chance that she would get together with Lester; I'd noticed it over the last few days. Well, when they weren't committing GBH on each other.

Right now she wasn't with him, so I was going to enjoy her for a little bit longer. I'd always been an opportunist.

"I want to fuck you," I whispered in her ear. I felt goose bumps break out on her skin and her nipples hardened against my chest.

I ground my erection against her. "Do you want this?" I growled.

"Definitely," Bailey murmured as she straddled my groin, splaying her hands on my chest. Slowly, inch by torturous fucking inch she impaled herself on my cock. By the time I was fully sheathed inside her, I was fighting my very worn self-control. I wanted her now, hard and fast, but Bailey seemed to have her own agenda. She set a painfully slow rhythm as she rode me, pinching and tugging on my nipples.

Damn it, I'd had enough. I grabbed her round the waist and lifted her off me. She shrieked in protest as I deposited her on the bed on her knees. I pounced, and slammed into her from behind, pounding into her body with fast aggressive strokes. She leaned forward and ground her ass against me, spurring me on. She was so fucking hot and I loved screwing her in this position. With one final hard thrust I took her over the edge and she screamed out my name.

It was just before dawn when I took her for the last time. I stretched out on top her, bracing myself on my forearms and slid inside. I took my time and we moved together slowly. For the first time in four years it felt like we were making love. When we climaxed together, I saw something in her eyes that told me it would be the last time too.

We spent the rest of the night curled up in each other's arms, not talking, just memorizing the feel of each other's bodies. And I knew for sure that what ever we'd had was in the past. We'd still be friends, but that was all. She was moving on, just like Steph had moved on. No, let's get this right. Steph didn't move on, I pushed her away and I was going to be left all alone again. It was all my own fault and here in the weak dawn light I realized that I had to change. Bailey had been right, I didn't want to grow old alone.

* * *

12.45PM found the team in the garage loading up any spare SUV we could get our hands on. Some of the guys had come down from the control room to help us pack up the gear.

The two spare bikes were currently being secured to the back of my Lariat, cases and crates were being loaded into the backs of the SUV's and Bobby was double checking the med supplies, again. To say that the guys were jumpy was an understatement.

Snake and Bones had been sniping and bitching at each other all morning and at one-point punches had been thrown. Tank and Mac had needed to step in and pull them apart. My Boston crew was now standing at separate ends of the garage, sulking like small children.

Bailey had been distant since she got up this morning. She'd grabbed a quick shower, given Ella a shopping list for some clothes and make-up for the mission, hastily packed and left my apartment. She wasn't being cold with me, but she'd pulled herself back and built walls around her emotions. The blank look had been in place every time I had seen her or spoken to her.

I looked over at her on the far side of the garage. Like Lester, she was dressed in black bike leathers as they were riding their bikes to the airstrip. They were checking over Lester's bike for the mission and something he said to her made her laugh. His trademark smile spread across his face for the first time in days and I knew for sure then that it had been Lester in Bailey's heart last night when we slept together.

Finally, we were ready to roll. It seemed like my entire office had emptied out into the garage. I hastily gave Junior last minute instructions, as I'd left him in charge. He knew how to handle the business and what to do in the event of the mission going FUBAR. The only person missing was Steph. I thought that she would at least come and see us off with the rest of the guys. I felt sad at the thought that she didn't even want to say goodbye.

My staff worked their way through the team, offering hand shakes, slaps on the back and positive thoughts. Before long it was just the eight of us left along with Cal, Zero, Binkie and Ram. They would be driving the SUV's back from the airstrip.

Suddenly a car screeched to a halt in front of the garage entrance. The car door opened and I could hear a heavy bass rattling the speakers. Lula stormed into view, struggled under the barrier and marched right up to me, poking me in the chest.

"What'ya doin' stealin' my man away on some dodgy mission, huh?" she yelled, hands firmly planted on her ample hips.

Shit. I knew rhino mode when I saw it. I looked over at Tank for help and he steered Lula away, talking to her over by the elevator. She pulled him into a fierce hug, holding him tight to her. When she pulled away again, tears stained her cheeks. She gave him a kiss and pulled her Glock from her handbag, handing it to him. He tried to give it back to her, but she slapped his hands away and yelled something at him. Reluctantly, he kept hold of the gun and tucked it at the small of his back.

She looked round at all of us, and told us to "not get dead," walking away with her head held high and never a backward glance. Tough woman.

Time to go. I nodded to the guys and they climbed into the vehicles. Lester and Lee settled onto their bikes, turning the engines over and revving them.

Just as I was climbing into my truck, Steph stepped out of the elevator. She smiled at Bailey, who winked back at her. Something was going on with those two, and I wish I'd bugged one of them last night to find out what they were talking about when Bailey took Steph home. I had a strong feeling that they were talking about me and I was pretty sure it would have been more than just my bedroom performance they were discussing.

Steph nodded to the rest of the guys and finally walked over to my Lariat. I slid out of the truck and lounged against the side of it, waiting for her. She stopped a couple of feet away, chewing on her lower lip and looking at the floor.

"Babe."

"Ranger… I just wanted to wish you good luck."

I smiled, "Thank you." Her words really meant a lot to me. To know that she still cared warmed my cold black heart a little.

Tentatively, she stepped closer and slipped her arms around my waist. "I couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye…"

I held her tight and kissed her hair, "We'll be back Babe."

"I hope so," she murmured into my chest. She pulled away. "Take care, Ranger."

"Babe, I…" I couldn't. Not even when I may never see her again. Fucking spineless wimp.

She placed a finger over my lips. "Shush. You don't need to say it, I already know it."

She brushed a kiss across my cheek and walked back to the elevator, disappearing from view. I never prayed anymore, but right now the one thing I wanted was to see her face again. I just hope that He's listening and I get my wish.

The loud revving of bike engines brought me back from whatever planet I'd just been on. The garage barrier lifted and Bailey and Lester screeched out of the lot, tearing out onto Haywood and burning away down the road. The three SUV's began to pull out and follow suit. I slid into the F-450 and turned the engine over. Time to get this show on the road.


	8. Musical Interlude AKA Fluff

A/N: Okay, so I said I didn't do song fics but this has been driving me nuts. I've decided to slot this in between chapters 7 and 8. It wasn't in the plan, but who cares. It's total fluff.

The song is Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.

* * *

I eased my Lariat out onto Haywood and followed the caravan of Rangeman vehicles heading for the airstrip about 45 minutes away. Normally I drove in silence, but right now I needed music. Bailey had mentioned a song last night, so I had downloaded it onto my ipod first thing this morning. I hooked it up to the car stereo and set the track up. I knew it was by Green Day, so I was expecting punk. What I got was something else. It didn't sound remotely like punk to me, maybe I'm getting old.

_I walk a lonely road  
The only one that I have ever known  
Don't know where it goes  
But it's home to me and I walk alone _

I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
Where the city sleeps  
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

  
_I walk alone  
I walk alone_

I listened to the lyrics and instantly understood what Bailey had meant. Those words really hit the nail on the head where my life was concerned. I guess she felt the same way too. Emotions were dangerous; emotions got you killed. Yet what was the point in living if you locked your heart and soul away? What's the point in saving the world, if you couldn't share it with anyone? Even Superman had Lois Lane. Maybe Batman needed a girl too.

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone  
_

Did I? Did I want someone to find me and hold me close and chase away all those horrid things I had seen and done over the years? The answer was yes. But then I'd already been doing it for years and never noticed. I'd been using Bailey for that, but then I got the impression that she'd been using me in pretty much the same way. Only now, she wanted that someone to be _the_ someone. The person you came home to after a long hard day or a long had week. The person who held you every night and kept the bad dreams at bay, the person who could look into your eyes and see your soul, and the person who didn't care what they saw when they looked there. They didn't care about the horror, violence and death that lurked there, locked away from every one else, they were the person that fixed your broken soul and warmed your heart.

_I'm walking down the line  
That divides me somewhere in my mind  
On the border line  
Of the edge and where I walk alone _

Read between the lines  
What's fucked up and everything's alright  
Check my vital signs  
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone 

_I walk alone  
I walk alone_

Could I do it? Wanting something and doing something about it were two very different things. I'd wanted to let Steph in, but I'd never been sure that she would like what she saw in my soul. That was why I pushed her back to Morelli. She went to him without a fight and that told me all I needed to know. She wouldn't be able to handle the things I seen and done, nor would she be able to handle the things I had yet to see and do.

And now I was alone. Alive but alone, waiting for someone to save me. I could have my pick of women, but I only wanted one, my babe. I knew I was a fool for pushing her away, but above all else I couldn't have bared to see the pain in her eyes when she found out about my past. Fool. I'd never know if I was wrong about her now. Maybe she would have understood, maybe she could have been that someone.

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone_

_I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
Where the city sleeps  
And I'm the only one and I walk alone._

The song ended and I turned the stereo off, slipping into my zone. There was no point in thinking about what might have been. I was destined to walk this lonely road with nothing but my honour and integrity. Wasn't I? I'd missed the turning for the path paved with love a long time ago.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: As always, huge thanks to Beth and Trish. Kudos to my wonderful D/H for spotting the deliberate mistake. I've left it in, but can anyone else spot it?

Thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed with positive thoughts. You make my muse a happy bunny.

This chapter was fueled by Green Day, The Offspring, Bowling for Soup, Nine Inch Nails and export strength Green King IPA. God bless American rock and English beer.

* * *

By 3PM we were loaded and ready to roll. The C-130 Hercules had been re-fueled and Mac was making last minute checks. Bobby was looking sick already. It didn't help that the cockpit was filled with screwdrivers, WD-40, a collection of wrenches and a large lump hammer. This damn thing had really seen better days, but it was the only plane we had that could take all the gear. It only had to take us as far as Scotland and if we were fucking lucky, back home again.

The whole mission was a trap, but like Tank had pointed out to me, we needed to find out who these guys were working for. If we couldn't identify the ringleader, I'd never be safe. We had to get the Russians to talk or I'd have a death sentence hanging over me until someone did the job and I was dead. I'd made a hell of a lot of enemies over the years and I didn't want to give a single one of them the satisfaction of taking me out.

Bones slid past me as I stood in the cockpit doorway and dropped down into the co-pilot's seat. "Doors are secure, we're good to go."

"Cool," Mac said with a grin. "I just hope we don't have engine problems like I had on the way up from Miami,"

"Shut the fuck up!" yelled Bobby from the navigator's seat. "I fucking hate you, man."

Mac laughed, "And I love you too, Bob. Chill will you, this baby's gonna be just fine. She'll get us there."

The radio squawked to life and Mac responded to air traffic control. He looked over at me, "We've got clearance from the tower. Gentlemen, Elvis is leaving the building, so take a seat, stick your head between your knees and kiss your arse goodbye."

Tank and Snake joined us and we took the last three seats.

"Where are Les and Bailey?" I asked.

"Double checking their rides. They don't trust the anchor points to hold the bikes in place. We've lost a couple of floor rings over the years, so it was hell to lash the four bikes down. They're bitching about their custom paint jobs getting damaged," Tank replied with a shake of his head. "We could get our asses whipped in a couple of days and they're freaking over the possibility of a scratched up gas tank. I'm sure they'll be through in a second," he bitched.

"They better hurry up," Mac grumbled. "We're about to hit the runway."

Speak of the devil. Bailey appeared in the doorway. She looked a little flushed. Lester get jumped again? I thought to myself. I looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she said with a shrug.

"Looking a little crazy there, Lee."

She grinned. "And so would you if you'd shot down the interstate at 130 miles an hour. I left Santos for dust."

"Did not," said a voice from behind her.

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Stop it!" Bobby griped. "I've already got a fucking headache."

Lester shoved past Bailey and sat down in Bobby's lap, slinging an arm around his neck. "Awww, poor Bobby," he said grinning and attempting to ruffle Bobby's cornrows. The braids held tight though, despite Lester's best efforts to mess them up.

"Get off me you moron," Bobby bitched, shoving Lester onto the floor. "If you sit on me again I'll be sick on you."

"It's cool man; I'll sit on the floor," Lester mumbled, casting a suspicious glance at Bobby and scooting further away.

"I see chivalry is dead," Bailey muttered, looking around at us. She was left with nowhere to sit.

"Baby, you can come sit on my lap. I could always use an extra pair of hands on the stick," Mac said wiggling his eyebrows.

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Darlin' it's quite alright. I'm sure you're more than used to handling that stick all by yourself…"

Mac snorted, "You wanna swim to Scotland, babydoll?"

Tank grabbed her around the waist and hauled her onto his lap. "Shut up and sit down, will you. Rule number 1 when flying anywhere: Don't piss the pilot off."

"Yeesh, It's not my fault he's got a…"

Tank clamped his hand over Bailey's mouth. "Shush."

The Hercules lumbered onto the runway and Mac let the four-turbo prop engines rip. I felt the plane shudder and shake as it rose into the air and start to climb up to cruising altitude. The shaking subsided and it seemed to be handling fine, if you ignored the ominous unidentified rattling noises. The eight of us sat there, lost in our own thoughts until the plane leveled out at 22,000 feet.

Mac was in his element, happily piloting the huge cargo plane. I was expecting him to start complaining any minute, though. We weren't being shot at and he always seemed to prefer chaos and danger when he flew. He said it made up for the lack of the in-flight movie.

Bones had his shaved head buried in the navigational charts. I wasn't sure why he was bothering. He was one of those people that could find their way in a blizzard with no map or compass. I couldn't count off-hand the sheer number of times he had steered us through God knows what and out the other side safely.

Snake had pulled his boots off and propped his feet up on Bobby's arm rest. He had pulled out a pack of cards and was lazily shuffling them. I smiled at the memory of a mission in Iraq when Lester had "borrowed" five of the cards from Snake's deck. Snake had been furious and Lester had been lucky to escape with only a black eye.

I looked around at Bobby. He was leaning forward with his head between his knees. He'd never been good at flying.

Lester reached out and touched Bobby on the leg. "You okay bro?"

"Sure. I'm just gonna take something for this headache," he replied, sitting up and rummaging through a pocket in his cammies, finally pulling out a pill bottle. He tipped a couple of green and white capsules onto his hand, swallowed them down without water and slid the container away again.

"Ric?"

I looked over at Tank. "Hmm."

"What do you want me to do with her?"

Bailey was fast asleep in his arms. I guess she didn't get that much sleep last night. "I'll go put her down in the back."

Lester pulled himself to his feet. "Let me take her, Ric." He scooped the still sleeping Bailey out of Tank's arms, cradling her tenderly against his chest and walked off to the cargo area.

Bobby let slip a rare smile as he watched Lester walk away.

"She's gotten under that boy's skin," Tank said with a grin. "Told you he just needed a strong woman to sort him out, and she's crazy enough to handle him too."

I leaned back in my seat and stretched my legs out. "I know, man. Kill or cure."

"Pardon?" Bobby said.

"They'll kill each other or sort each other out," I explained.

"She'll probably just kill him," Snake muttered. "All that woman does is destroy."

I looked over at Snake. Well I'll be damned, he was jealous. "Just because she didn't fit your mold of the perfect woman, doesn't mean that it's gonna be that way with someone else. Sure she kills, but that doesn't mean that she has no heart. Let her be, man. Lester's broken and I think she can fix him, I'll be glad to finally have my cousin back."

"Amen to that," Bobby said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

30 minutes later and there was still no sign of Lester. I slipped into the cargo bay and look around for him. He was sitting with his back against the cockpit wall and had Bailey still cradled against him. His arms were wrapped protectively around her and his chin was resting on top of her head. They were both fast asleep. The sight made me smile, they both looked so peaceful. I pulled an army blanket out of one of the crates and tucked it around them. Neither moved; they were out for the count. Before I could stop myself I had pulled out my secure sat. phone and hit speed dial 1.

The phone rang twice before it was picked up.

"Ranger?"

"Babe."

"Are you okay?" She sounded a little panicked.

"Fine."

She let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God, you had me worried for a second. Did you want something?"

Damn it, Manoso. Tell the woman how you feel. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"For?" she said sounding puzzled. I bet she was screwing up her nose. She looked so cute when she did that.

"Coming down to say goodbye, babe. It meant a lot to me."

I could almost feel her blushing down the phone line. "That's o.k. Ranger."

"I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"When I get back, have dinner with me, Steph."

"I…"

"Please, babe. I've missed you these past few months."

"Okay."

"Thank you."

"Ranger…."

"Yeah, babe?"

"I've missed you too."

"So we'll do dinner when I get back?"

"Yes. You will come back, won't you? This mission sounds so dangerous." She sounded panicked.

"I promise, babe. I better go; would you like me to call you again tomorrow?"

"Can you do that? I mean, you're on a mission…"

"Yeah, I can do that babe. So shall I call?"

"Please, that would be nice. I'll only worry about you if I don't hear from you."

"I'm gonna be fine, babe." Lie to the woman; she doesn't need to know that you're scared.

"Bye Ranger. Stay safe."

"Bye babe." I hung up the phone and realized that I had just said goodbye. Shit. I never say goodbye.

* * *

Hours later and we were about to land in the early morning light on a small runway in the middle of fucking nowhere. The plane had held together and given us no problems and Bobby had surprised us all by not being sick once. I looked down at the runway from the cockpit window. It was gonna be tight, and if we over shot then we'd end up in the sea.

"You cool, man?" I asked Mac.

"Piece of cake, Rangeman. It'll be close, but it'll be fine. I'm gonna circle again and come in real low just to make sure. It could be a bit of a bumpy landing, mind."

I dropped down in my seat and looked at the rest of the guys. Not a care in the world, they were still playing poker.

Mac lined up for the approach and the plane dipped down alarmingly. We hit the runway with a jolt and Mac slammed the anchors on. We rolled to a stop only feet from the old hanger. Headlights flashed from inside the building and the doors were pushed back. Mac eased the plane inside and killed the engines.

I guessed that it was Winter with a welcoming committee, but it never hurt to be prepared. I nodded to the guys and we armed ourselves. Bones popped the side door open and we slid into the shadows.

"It's only me, Ranger. If you put a bullet in me I'll be right pissed off," a voice called from outside.

Yeah, it was Winter.

"How many men you got with you?"

"Just one. Can I come aboard?"

"Sure."

Winter climbed aboard and looked round the hold. "Fucking hell, you got enough ammo?"

"You can never have enough ammo, man." I said with a grin, shaking his hand.

The years hadn't changed Winter. Still well muscled with jet black spiked hair, thought the earring in his left ear was a new addition.

"Where you hiding my girl?" he asked.

"Bailey?"

"Yeah, you did bring her didn't you?"

I looked around to where she was curled up in Les' arms. "She's still asleep."

Winter walked over to Bailey and stopped about five feet away.

"Don't come any fucking closer," Lester growled at him.

Shit, Santos had pulled a gun.

"Put it away, Les. He's not gonna hurt me," Bailey assured him. She pulled the blanket aside and I notice that she had her Sig in her hand, just in case this had been a set up. Damn, and I'd thought that she was asleep when we landed. Winter pulled her to her feet and looked her up and down.

"Lookin' good, honey."

Bailey pulled him into a hug and standing on tiptoes, kissed him on the cheek. "Right back at ya, darlin'," she replied.

"It's been a while, what you been up to kiddo?"

"Oh, you know me… little bit of this, little bit of that. Who'd you bring with you?"

"Danny."

Bailey groaned, "Danny, 'I can't hit a barn door at five paces and I shot myself in the foot with my own gun' Danny?"

Winter shrugged, "Short notice, Billy and Warwick were busy."

"I heard that, Little Miss, I let that target in Monte Carlo get away because I was too busy staring at some bloke's arse," someone shouted from outside. That would be Danny, I presume. The man behind the voice jogged up the plane steps, pulled Bailey from Winter's embrace and hugged her.

Danny was, well… fucking scary looking. 5ft 10 with flame red hair to his shoulders, goatee beard and a lot of piercings. He was dressed in gray urban pattern combats and a long sleeved black t-shirt. His sleeves had been pushed up to his elbows and his forearms were covered with black tattoos in the same style as Bailey's. Where the hell did she meet these guys?

I introduced Winter to those on my team he had not worked with before and gave Danny a quick heads up on who was who. "We need to get unloaded guys. Did you get us wheels, Winter?"

"Sure, three. With the amount of gear you brought it's gonna be tight, I hope it all goes in."

I walked down the steps and looked around the ramshackle hanger in the early dawn light. He had to be fucking joking! I'd seen better vehicles in some third world countries. Parked in front of me were three Land Rover 110 Defenders. The powder blue one and the white one with rust spots were two-seaters and the red one had the full 12 seats. They were battered, dented and looked like they were held together with a wing and a prayer. I looked over at Winter. "Are you sure these are reliable?"

Winter snorted, "They're Land Rovers, Ric. So they look a little shabby, round here that's normal. You wouldn't want to stick two sheep dogs and four bales of hay in something expensive."

"Fine, just as long as they run." Hell, Steph drove cars in better condition than these heaps of crap.

Winter sensed my displeasure. "You want to blend, don't you?"

I sighed. "O.k. let's get the gear unloaded. We're gonna have to take the four bikes back by road. Winter, where the hell are we going anyway?"

Winter pulled two maps from a pocket in his combats and spread them out on the hood of one of the Landrovers. "We're here," he said pointing to the spot where the two maps joined.

"Fucking Murphy," he said with a smile. "Rule 38, combat always occurs on the join of two maps."

I smiled at his comment. The Murphy's laws of combat, while crazy, were deadly accurate. The small peninsula of land on the mainland where the airstrip was located was sitting right on the join of both maps.

"The road bridge to the Isle of Skye is about 6 miles away and we are headed here," he said, pointing again at the map. "Glen Shiel, about 30 miles away, still on the mainland."

"What's our H.Q.? Bailey said she found a small cottage."

"It's my house."

"Your house?"

"Yeah, I bought a rundown cottage a while back to use as a base for training guys for missions in harsh terrain and I've just finished renovating it. It's gonna be cozy, but it's secure and there's no civilians for miles."

"Good."

* * *

The equipment had only just fit into the vehicles. It was a good job that one of them had a roof rack, otherwise we would have needed a second trip and I could live without the hassle. Plus the jet lag was starting to kick in and I wanted to crash. It was past 4AM by the time we were all set to leave and the sky was nearly fully light. We needed to get moving ASAP.

Danny happily volunteered to take Ram's Honda Fireblade back to the base and Bones was finally persuaded to ride Hal's Suzuki Bandit. Les and Bailey were as happy as clams and the roads twisted and turned for miles at a time, giving an interesting ride. Only Bones had refused to be in on the wager of who could make it back first. They were fucking crazy; I was betting that we'd have to scrape one of them off the pavement before too long.

The Land Rover's made slow progress fully laden, so the bikes were already parked up behind the small isolated cottage by the time we got there. Winter's place was about a mile off the main road and shielded from sight by a grove of trees. Perfect.

Winter pushed through the back door, dragging a weapons case behind him. "I hope someone put the kettle on!" he yelled.

"We did, but we drank it all," Danny yelled back.

"Well I suggest you make another pot, as some of us are a little busy," he griped.

I looked over at the four speed demons, well three speed demons and one green looking Bones. "Good ride?"

"Better than sex," Bailey said with a lazy smile. She had that flushed look again.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She blushed, "Sorry, I don't think I meant to say that out loud."

"Bloody one track mind, that woman," Winter said with a laugh. "Go do something useful and make the tea, girl, while us men carry the big heavy stuff in from outside."

Oh fuck. My men tensed up and Bobby edged away from Winter slightly, stepping out the line of fire. I watched in shock as Bailey got up and put the kettle on.

"Who wants tea?" she asked.

I looked at Winter in awe. "How did you get her to do that?"

He looked at me, slightly confused. "Do what?"

"You just insulted her and then told her to make the tea. She shot one of my men on Monday for daring to suggest that she got this job because she's good in bed. And now she just calmly does as she's told. What am I doing wrong?"

Winter thought about my question for a second and shrugged, "Never mix business with pleasure Ricardo. I've always treated her like one of the guys and I don't care who is on my team, but they don't get involved with each other. If they want to fuck they can do it on their own time, not mine."

I looked over at Bailey who was setting mugs on the table. "You think that you're treated differently by us?"

"A little… maybe. While Winter takes the piss, he has never stopped me from doing my job. I know for a fact that you are unhappy with me doing this mission, and that's dangerous Ric; it could distract you and get you killed. Winter on the other hand knows what I can and can't do. If I choose to do something that I am capable of then, he respects my choice."

"Don't you think it is a little dangerous for her to go in there after the Russian's?" I asked Winter.

"Yeah, but she can handle herself. Think of her as a professional, not a woman and then you'll have no problems."

Did he have a point? Did I really treat her like a woman rather than a professional? Thinking on it a bit, I guess I did sometimes. I knew I treated Steph the same way too. I would have to work through those distinctions later. Right now I wanted to get the gear stashed away, secure the perimeter and get some sleep. "Okay Winter, show me the layout of this place so I can go crash. Tank, Bobby, Snake, get those damn vehicles unloaded and someone, anyone, I don't care who, get me a drink."

I followed Winter into the small living room. It was pretty packed, a huge open fire dominated the end wall and the rest of the space was filled up with seating and the T.V. It seemed warm and cozy, whereas most of my places always felt a little cold and sterile.

On the other side of the small hall and front door was what would have been the dining room. It was now the command room. Maps lined the walls, a bank of computers filled one whole side of the room and a meeting table was in the center of the floor. I knew that I would be spending a lot of time in this room over the coming days.

We went back out into the hall and up the stairs. The rooms up here were small and were in the eaves of the building. This style of house was a typical Highland one and a half story structure. The tiny bathroom was at the top of the stairs and there was a bedroom on either side. Both were the same size and had a set of bunks and 2 single beds crammed in to the tiny space.

I did a mental head count and came up two beds short. "Am I missing something here?" I asked Winter.

"Hmm?"

"I only count eight beds. Who's sleeping on the sofa?"

"My room is off the kitchen along with the other bathroom. There's a double bed in there, so we're fine," he replied.

"How do you want to work this?"

He shrugged, "Draw lots or see if the guys can reach an amicable solution. Either way works for me."

"Don't you think Bailey should have your room?"

"You're doing it again, Ric. She doesn't want or need treating differently than anyone else. But then again if I was the one fucking her maybe I would be thinking a little differently," he said with a sly smile.

"I am not fucking her." I growled. Well, not anymore I wasn't.

The conversation was interrupted by Mac, who pushed past us on the landing and headed into the left bedroom. "I'm gonna crash, boss. I think the plan is to regroup at 10.30AM. Snake is on first watch. Night."

Winter smiled, "Seems like they know what they're doing."

"Yeah," I grumbled. I hated flying; the jet lag always made me a grouchy bastard.

"Get a drink and crash, man. You look like shit."

I raised an eyebrow and gave Winter my death glare. He just laughed. Great, one more person I can't fucking intimidate. Any more?


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks as always to Beth and Trish. Thanks also to everyone who reviewed and that is following this crazy ride.

This chapter contains smut. (Especially for Kate (myminorobsession) Enjoy!) It's at the end, so just stop when you get to it if you don't want to read it.

* * *

A noise jolted me awake and when I opened my eyes while groping for the gun that I'd placed under my pillow, I came face to face with Bobby.

"Here's some tea, Ric, "he said, setting a steaming mug on the floor next to the bed.

"What time is it?" I mumbled, still half asleep.

"10.07AM. You better hurry up and drink that shit. You're gonna need four cups just to get moving. Fucking weird country," he groused.

"Problem?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fucking instant coffee! I mean, what the fuck is all that about?" he shrieked.

Oh hell, Bobby was having caffeine withdrawal. He could handle any situation you threw at him, but only if he'd had his coffee, real coffee that is. Someone needed to go shopping, or we'd have to take him outside and shoot him. Six years ago, I had to spend two weeks in Somalia with him and no coffee. Bar Phoenix, it was the worst two weeks of my life. Bobby was grouchy at the best of times and after 4 days of no coffee, the entire unit was ready to bury him up to the neck in sand in the middle of nowhere and leave him there for the rest of the mission.

I picked the cup up off the floor, sat up in bed and took a sip of the hot liquid. Ugh! Okay, maybe Bobby had a point.

"I don't know how they drink that shit all the time. What is it with the Brits and tea?" Bobby muttered.

I shrugged. "Anything going on that I need to know about?"

"First watch was clear, so far there's nothing to report on the second shift. Winter left at 8AM on an emergency supplies run and to do some re-con on the target. He checked in 45 minutes ago. There was no movement at their base and the supplies run was successful. He's on his way back now."

"Do you think he bought coffee?"

"I fucking hope so, Ric. I don't know what's worse: instant coffee or tea.

I pondered the thought and shook my head, "That's a tough one, man."

/\/\/\/\/\

Ten minutes later I was showered, shaved, dressed and downstairs in the kitchen. Winter had just returned and had indeed bought decent coffee while he was out. Bobby had just inhaled his first cup and was starting on his second when I sat down at the kitchen table.

Winter pushed a mug of fresh coffee across the table at me. "I thought I better get some, as it seems that it's vital to this mission's success," he said with a grin.

"Too fucking right," Tank mumbled, with his mouth full of scrambled eggs.

"What are the Russians up to?" I quizzed.

Winter shrugged, "Nothing that looks out of the ordinary. I wouldn't like to bet on it, but I don't think they know you're here yet. The only thing that's worrying me is if they tracked your plane though air traffic control."

"They won't," Mac said from the head of the table. "I used the call sign from a private jet. Air traffic control thought we were the Birmingham Royal Ballet returning from an American tour."

Bones snorted hot coffee up his nose as he started laughing. He went red in the face and started coughing. "Fuck," he said, grimacing in pain, "That's just too funny, man."

"I know," Mac replied with a grin.

Bailey smirked and Winter smiled. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

I raised an eyebrow and that only caused them to laugh even harder. Bailey looked down at the table and tried to calm down. She looked back up again and tried to suppress a giggle. "Sorry, I've just got a mental picture of Tank wearing a tutu in my head," she said laughing again.

She was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face and when Tank, who was not impressed in the slightest, lunged at her, she fell sideways off her chair and ended up in a heap on the floor, still laughing.

Danny offered her a hand up off the floor, but she waved him away. She rolled onto her back and had turned a funny color, "Oh my God, men in tights…Rangemen in tights. Jesus fucking Christ," she wheezed, "I need a cold shower."

I sighed. I'd not had enough coffee this morning to deal with this amount of crap. "Shall we go get this meeting started?"

Chairs grated across the floor and plates rattled as everyone headed in the direction of the Command room. Lee sat up slowly and Danny pulled her to her feet. "You know, it's been dull without you around, kiddo," he said with a grin.

Lester was sitting in front of the monitors, bacon sandwich in hand. He looked up as we trooped in. "Nothing to report really, but I did see a couple of rabbits in the far field about 20 minutes ago. Are the Russians known for using rabbits as suicide bombers?"

"Nah, that's the Arabs, Les," Snake said.

"Arabs?"

"Sure, have you never heard of the Tali-bunnies?"

I closed my eyes, counted to ten and took another mouthful of coffee. Just shoot me now.

The guys sat around the huge table and Winter handed out a load of files. "Right gentlemen," he said, "The bottom line is that the government Intel is shite. At first glance it seems that someone wanted you," he said pointing at me, "to believe it, head over here and take you out while you were chasing shadows and rumors."

"So, there are no Columbian terrorists?" I asked.

"No, it was just a cover. While you went looking for Columbians the Russians where in place to take you out."

Shit, someone wanted me dead and was quite prepared to go to a lot of trouble doing it. "And the nuclear submarine?"

"Well, there's two based out of Kyle of Lochalsh, but they're both out on maneuvers all summer. There's a British frigate in the dock yard, but it has no nuclear capabilities and it's got a 20 foot hole in the hull from where it ran into the Isle of Skye three months ago."

"It did what?" Mac asked.

"It ran into the Isle of Syke." Winter repeated.

"How the hell do you… no, I don't want to know." Mac muttered.

"So, the info was a ploy to get me over here and take me out?"

Winter nodded, "Yeah, it seems that "they," whoever the hell "they" are, have spent a lot of time making this look legit at first glance. To most people it would look like an actual mission. Someone has put the Russians in place, so we need to neutralize them and see if we can find out who they are working for."

"How many?" Bobby asked.

"Well, at first there were six and then another six turned up yesterday. Six would have been enough to take out Ric, but I guess since you decided to bring a team, they felt that they needed more guys."

"What have we got on them?" Bailey piped up.

"Not that much. Four of the first six are detailed in the file, but the rest I have no idea. It's gonna take time to dredge up Intel on the remainder of them and time, gentlemen we do not have. The longer we sit here, the more chance we have of being discovered."

I flipped the file open and looked at a picture of Konstantin Lushenko. Oh great, he really was ex-Spetsnaz, the Russians version of special forces. They were one scary bunch of guys who trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat. They were tough and ruthless and had been rumored to have only lost four officers in their entire history.

I was worried. I knew my team was good, but we were outnumbered and we'd be fucked in a close quarters encounter with these guys. Our best bet was to do covert intelligence gathering and to take them out from a distance, maybe by sniper or using explosives.

We only needed Konstantin or his 2IC, Marko alive. They should know enough for us to pinpoint the guys setting me up back in the U.S. I looked at Winter, "So, what's the plan?"

"We'll split into three teams: Alpha, Beta and Delta. Alpha team consists of myself, Bailey, Mac and Bones. Beta team is Danny, Les, Bobby and Snake, while Delta team is Ranger and Tank."

He continued, "Team Alpha will hit the bar, the King Haakon in Kyleakin as the Russians drink in there. Mac will go in first and play the pissed up local, Bailey will go in next, playing tourist and I will go in last. Bones will be outside in the Land Rover. We'll all be wired for sound and Lee will also have a GPS tracker. She will be the only one of us not armed."

Winter pushed a folder across the table to her. "New I.D and back history. You need to engage the targets in conversation. At no point let on that you speak Russian. Your main objective is to get in with Konstantin or Marko, I don't care which, it's your choice."

Bailey nodded and flipped though her new identity. She looked back over the main file and grimaced, "I'll go with the flow. Neither of them looks that appealing."

Winter nodded, "So, team Beta will head over to the targets base. It is imperative that you stay out of sight. You could do with gaining access to the house and looking for Intel and placing bugs, but I'd much rather you stayed out of sight if you can't see a clear way in. You can not, I repeat, can not be spotted."

What the hell were Tank and I supposed to do? I was not in the mood for sitting on my ass while this went down.

"Ric, Tank, command vehicle in the square in Kyleakin. You need to keep both of the other teams up to date and also I don't want either of you getting spotted. You are both too recognizable."

"I want to go with team Beta to the base," I said, standing up and towering over Winter.

"Oh stop the macho posturing, Ric. It don't work on me. You know that what I'm saying makes sense. You are the one they want dead; the rest of us would just be an added bonus. Besides, if they make you then they might become suspicious of Lee. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Bastard. Fucking bastard, playing on my emotions. Winter knew I didn't want her in there in the first place, so he knew I'd stay put in the command truck so I didn't blow her cover. Asshole. "Fine," I growled.

"Any questions?"

No one said a word.

"Good," Winter said. "Equipment lists are in the back of your files. We need to be locked and loaded by 7.00PM."

* * *

I'd just finished my shift in the Command room and was looking forward to chilling out this afternoon. Man, I needed coffee. Bailey and Danny were sitting at the kitchen table shooting the shit and cleaning a load of guns.

Bailey had a pair of gray sweat pants and a black sports bra on; her hair was loose and stopped about an inch above the waistband of her pants. I could see some of her back tattoo; it looked amazing with black spirals and knot work patterns with intricate animals and birds woven into the pattern.

I stopped next to her and gently brushed her curls to one side to see the rest of the design. Her top covered some of it, I'd have to strip her naked to see all of it. Shit. I could feel myself getting hard at that thought. I traced one of the spirals with my fingertip and she looked at me over her shoulder.

"You like it Les?" she asked.

"Yeah," I whispered. My mind was full of thoughts of her naked and drenched in sweat, as I slid myself into her again and…

"Earth to Lester," Danny yelled.

"Hmmm, what?" I asked.

Bailey smiled at me. Not her usual smile, more of a shy smile. "You got any ink, Les?"

"No, not my thing, beautiful. Now piercings, on the other hand…"

She looked me up and down, her eyes wide, "Where?"

I smiled. "Now that would be telling, darlin'." Suddenly a thought popped into my head. Fuck, that would be so cool and I'd finally know about that dragon. "I'll show you my piercings, if you'll show me your tattoos."

Bailey blushed and looked away. "I'd need to strip…"

"So would I," I said with a grin.

Danny coughed. "Damn, is that the time? I really need to go and check in with Winter. Why don't you two put those guns back in the armory?" He winked at Bailey and sauntered out of the kitchen.

"We got a deal, baby?" I whispered in her ear. Goose bumps broke out on her skin; fuck did I have an affect on her or what? I swept her hair to one side and kissed her lightly on the neck. She let out a sigh and turned her head to kiss me. Our lips met in a passionate kiss and I knew then that I had to have her.

We broke apart and Bailey looked at me, this time the smile on her face was full of mischief. "Armory's in the cellar. I can't carry all these guns by myself. You coming?"

Not yet, but I hoped I would be very soon.

/\/\/\/\/\

The stairs to the basement were hidden at the back of the pantry and they led down to two small square rooms with low ceilings. Tank and Mac wouldn't be able to stand upright down here. I could, but it was an odd feeling with my head so close to the ceiling. Lee, on the other hand had no problems, she was tiny compared to the rest of us. I reckoned that I had a foot in height over her.

My mama was short too, but then she'd always said that the best things in life came in small packages. Maybe she was right.

The first small room was the armory and the second contained a couple of bits of gym equipment; a treadmill and a couple of weight machines. The air seemed slightly damp and musty down here and the only source of light was a fluorescent strip light in each room. The harsh light bounced off the white washed walls and it had taken me a second or two for my eyes to adjust.

Bailey placed her armload of guns on top of a weapons crate and I put those I was carrying with them too. She pulled off her left skate shoe, revealing another dragon tattoo. It curled round her ankle and across the top of her foot. With her shoes on it wasn't even visible.

I watched, confused as Bailey stood on one leg and bent over to pick her shoe up off the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

She tipped her trainer upside down and a small key fell out into her hand. "Getting my key, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"Baby, I have no idea."

The key fitted the padlock on an olive green weapons crate. I moved closer and watched as she took the lock off and flipped the lid. Holy shit! The crate was packed with guns, knives, grenades, tracking devices, bugs, plastic explosives and what looked like a sniper rifle, but I couldn't be sure as it was in it's own case.

"Hell woman, do you spend your spare time overthrowing third world governments or something?" I muttered in awe.

She just shrugged. "Never hurts to be prepared."

"For what? Armageddon?"

"Who knows in this day and age," Lee answered. "Besides, I thought the third world government thing was more your area of expertise?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied with a grin. "What do you think I am, some sort of mercenary?"

"If you're not a merc, then I'm the tooth fairy, Lester." Bailey said, laughing as she packed her freshly cleaned guns away. She shut the lid with a clang and locked it again.

The trunk was battered and dented, with bits of paint flaking off here and there. The letters A and M were scratched onto the lid.

I reached round her and ran my hand over them. "What do they stand for?"

"Nothing," she snapped rather hastily.

"Nothing?" I said raising an eyebrow. "They're initials aren't they?"

"They could be anything, Lester. Just drop it," she growled.

I reached out and took hold of her by her arms, pulling her towards me. "You gonna hide behind "Bailey" forever?"

"It's just a name, why do you care?"

I sighed and pulled her close. "I just want to know who you are, baby. But if it bothers you then that's o.k. You don't have to tell me."

"Names don't matter, Les. Tonight I'm Dervla Macguire, in Monte Carlo I was Emma Stewart and the rest of the time I'm just Bailey. She," Bailey said, pointing to the letters scratched on the crate, "is just another name. It's what's on the inside that counts."

"Fair enough, honey. But you've got to tell me what surname you use most of the time."

She smiled, "It's Bailey."

"I don't understand, Lee."

"Bailey is my surname."

"Oh, so what's your first name?"

"It's November."

"November Bailey?"

She nodded.

"A little bizarre, Lee."

"It's my porn name," she said with a giggle.

Oh my fucking God. She did porn? I had to get my hands on some of that.

"No, stupid. It's not like that. Everyone has a porn name. It's the name of your first pet coupled with your mother's maiden name."

"Oh," I said, feeling very disappointed. "I didn't know that. So you don't do porn then?"

"'Fraid not. Disappointed?" she said with a laugh as she ground her hips against mine.

"Maybe… but then again, I'm not sure I could handle the thought of lots of guys looking at you. If it was just for me…"

"Pervert."

"Baby, I'm a guy. We all think like that," I said, flashing her my patented charming smile that could deflower a virgin at 20 paces.

"True."

"Anyway, we have a more important matter to discuss."

"We do?"

"We made a deal in the kitchen, remember?"

"Yeah…"

"Changed your mind, Lee? Scared that you'd faint from the sight of my perfect body?"

She snorted, "You just love yourself, don't you Les?"

"Someone has to, baby."

"Fine, whatever. Come on, the gym doubles as a strong room and the door's secure. I'm not stripping off in here."

She pulled away and headed into the gym, with me hot on her heels. I shut the steel door behind us with a clang and threw the bolts. I gave her a wolf grin. "I'm waiting."

She shot me a sultry smile and slowly peeled her sports bra off. Her long black curls tumbled over her body, hiding most of her from view and before I could stop myself I'd crossed the small room and swept her hair over her shoulders.

Oh my God. I reached out and ran my fingers over the Celtic dragon tattoo; its tail curled over her left breast and round the nipple. I dipped my head down and sucked the hard nub into my mouth. One hand found her other nipple and gently tugged and squeezed it, while my other hand instantly gravitated to her amazing ass. I slipped my hand under the waist of her jogging bottoms and cupped and kneaded the warm flesh. Damn, I think she was going commando.

Bailey moaned. "God Lester, please…"

I bit her nipple and then let go. She whimpered in protest. "Please what, beautiful?" I teased.

"I need you, now."

"Patience. Good things come to those who wait."

I slid her bottoms down over her hips and they pooled on the floor around her feet. She stepped out of them and kicked them to one side, then reached out to tug my t-shirt from my combats. I playfully slapped her hands away. "Allow me, darlin'."

I pulled my long sleeved t-shirt over my head and casually dropped it on the floor. Lee reached out and ran her hands over my abs. She traced the planes and contours of my muscles, working her way up to finally tug on the black titanium bars that pierced both my nipples. Her actions had me so turned on. When she looked up at me, her eyes were filled with desire and I crushed her naked body against mine.

I dipped my head down and slipped my tongue between her soft lips, groaning into her mouth as she reached down and began to unfasten my combats. My hard cock sprang free from the tight confines of my trousers and she gripped my shaft in her slender fingers.

She slid her hand up and down slowly, teasing me. I wanted, hell I needed it fast and she was torturing me with her slow rhythm. I bit down on her bottom lip and she moaned as I pulled away slowly.

"Baby, you're a god damn tease," I breathed.

"I know," she whispered as she kissed and licked her way down my chest.

"Fuck!" I gasped, as she bit down on the soft skin of my inner thigh. She never relented on the slow pace she was setting, stroking my dick lazily. When she dropped to her knees on the wood floor and tugged on the ring that pierced the end of my shaft with her teeth I nearly lost control. My senses were wired and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.

"Please, no… Baby you're killing me."

Bailey laughed and sucked me into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the sensitive skin at the end of my cock. Her nails grazed my balls and over the inside of my thighs and I knew I was close. I couldn't remember the last time a woman had made me feel like this.

Damn, she was like a drug. Highly addictive and made me feel like I was on top of the world. I twisted my fingers in her long hair as she sucked, licked and teased, and the world suddenly exploded in a flash of bright colors. Fucking hell! I groaned her name as the mother of all orgasms shook my body and I had to put my hands on her shoulders to steady myself.

When the clanging in my head had subsided and I could see straight I pulled Bailey to her feet. There was a small smudge of my cum on her chin. I wiped it off with my finger, "Missed a bit, darlin'," I said with a grin, holding my finger in front of her face.

Her green eyes sparkled with mischief and she slowly sucked my finger clean, mimicking the actions she had just performed on my cock. God I could get used to this. "You got any plans after we've finished with this mission, baby?"

She released my finger and I used it to trace her bottom lip. "No," she replied. "Why?"

"What do you say to us spending a couple of weeks holed up in your apartment in Boston when all this is over?"

"Maybe… but I'd like to see you deliver first. I'm not wasting my time on you if you're shite in bed," she teased.

I raised an eyebrow, "You think I don't know how to please a woman? Honey when I'm through with you, you won't be able to remember your own name."

"You think?" she replied with a grin, stepping in and foot sweeping me. With my combats around my knees I lost my balance and I hit the deck with a thud.

"Bitch," I said with a smile. This was going to be fun.

She stepped close and pressed her foot down on my groin, making me gasp. "I think the only one round here that's going to forget their name is you, Lester."

I brushed her foot aside and wriggled out of my cammies and boots and then pulled the same move I used on her in the gym a few nights ago. Within seconds I had her lush naked body trapped under mine.

She tilted her hips and ground against me. Damn, she felt so fucking good under me. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of Bailey's warm skin against mine. Big mistake, caught off guard I found myself being rolled under her. Sneaky bitch.

"Oh no, darlin'," I said looking up at her, "This is my show."

I shoved her off me backwards and she landed flat on her back. A split second later I was pinning her to the floor again, I pinched her nipple roughly and she moaned. "Do you yield?" I whispered in her ear.

"Never," she laughed as she tried to roll me again. This time I was prepared and I used my weight advantage to hold her down.

"I think you've met your match, darlin'," I teased as I brushed against her clit with the tip of my cock.

"Fucking hell Les," Bailey groaned, "Okay, I give in. Just fuck me, please."

"I'm not going to fuck you."

"What?" she shrieked.

"I'm going to make love to you baby," I replied as I bit down gently on the pulse point in her neck. She shivered and went limp under me, her eyes drifted closed and she sighed in contentment. People talk about soul mates and I'd always thought it was crap, but right at this moment I understood what they meant.

Gently, she upbraided my hair and it cascaded around us. Reaching up she swept it out of my face and cradled my face in her hands. I let her pull me down for a kiss and my libido went into overdrive. I began to tease her body with my fingers and broke the kiss, trailing my lips over every inch of her tattoo. Over her breast, round her abs, across her hip and down her thigh.

I dipped my head to her core and breathed gently on her slick folds. She gasped and arched her hips in invitation. I didn't need to be told twice and greedily sucked her clit into my mouth. God, she made me want to get my tongue pierced again, it had always been a hit with the ladies.

I spread her wide with my hands and leisurely licked her sweet juices. She was so wet; the tops of her thighs were sticky. I continued my teasing and slid three fingers inside her, causing her body to clench round them and a moan escaped her lips.

"Do you want me?" I whispered against her thigh.

"Yes."

"Beg, Bailey."

"Please, I need you inside me," she choked out, her orgasm was so close.

I slowed the pace of my fingers and she whimpered in protest. "You'll have to do better than that darlin'," I teased.

"Oh God," she moaned. "Please Lester… I want you now."

Man she had me so turned on. I gave her my wolf grin and crawled up her sweat soaked body, easing the tip of my cock inside her. I rubbed the pad of my calloused thumb over her clit and her orgasm skyrocketed through her. I hope to God this room was soundproof.

She was fucking amazing and her body responded to my slightest touch. I slid more of my thick length into her and she gasped in pleasure. Her eyes were wide and her breathing erratic.

I stilled, half buried inside her, letting her adjust to my size. God she felt so tight. I slid all the way in and Bailey gripped my shoulders hard, sinking her nails into my flesh, her lush body writhing beneath mine.

I growled and let myself go, thrusting in and out of her. She met me stroke for stroke, our bodies slamming together on the cool floor. This felt primal, erotic and like coming home, she was mine now and I was never going to let her go.

When her second orgasm ripped through her body I joined her in an earth shattering release. As we came down off our high I moved slowly and gently inside her for a while, before rolling onto my side and cradling her in my arms.

Tenderly I smoothed the curls out of her face and savored the feel of her body next to mine. Only God knew how long this mission would last and it could be a while before we could do this again.

A few minutes later I ran my hand gently down her arm. "Come on darlin', we need to get moving."

"I have an afterglow, I'm basking. Leave me alone," Bailey growled.

I laughed. "So have I baby, but we've got a job to do.

She ran her hand gently over my forearm, brushing the 31 stitches she put in the other morning. "It looks like it's healing well. Bobby checking it?"

"Yeah, he say's it's fine."

"Why'd you do it, Les?"

I sighed. I really didn't want to have to explain myself to her. "Because…"

"Because you needed to be in control?"

I nodded and then realized that she couldn't see me. "Yeah, something like that."

"Next time you feel the need to do something like that, come and talk to me first, okay?"

"Sure." Yeah, right.

"I mean it Lester. I spent three years stitching my brother up and I won't do it again. I want to help you, but you have to want to help yourself too."

"Okay, I will. I promise," I replied. Hell, if Bailey was in my arms all the time then everything was right with the world. I'd be fine. I could watch her back and keep her safe and she could keep me sane and keep my demons at bay.

_/\/\/\/\/\_

_A/N: So, what's your porn name? Use it to sign your review so we can all have a giggle over it._

_Thanks for reading._

_Smokey Bell_


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks to Trish, Beth and Stayce for editing, suggestions and Americanizations. Thanks to Cecile for suggesting the Steph/Lula scene. To all my readers and reviewers, I can only apologize for the amount of time it has taken to update. RL decided to get in the way by giving me a nasty virus amongst many other crap things.

This chapter deals with pretty serious issues and if you are of a sensitive nature then it would be best if you skipped it.

Oh, if you see something in italics then it is meant to be in Russian. I had to pick a language that has it's own alphabet, which makes it impossible to use, didn't I?

* * *

The hot water from the shower beat down on my body as I scrubbed away any trace of my earlier encounter with Lester. I didn't want to have to remove his scent from my skin, but it was never a good plan to pick up men whilst reeking of testosterone. Fuck. How did I end up in this situation? Oh yeah, I volunteered. Maybe someone else could get slutted up while I went to crawl round in the undergrowth.

I rinsed off the shower gel and turned the water off. Now I smelt of mint and tea tree rather then eau de rampant sex. My afterglow had long since departed. In fact it vanished at the top of the cellar steps when I saw Winter standing there, leaning against the wall. He'd got his 'don't fuck with me' face on and he decided to remind me of his no sex on missions policy. After three minutes of him hissing his displeasure in my ear, I'd reminded him it was Ric's mission and if he had a problem then he could take it up with him.

Okay, so having sex with Lester this afternoon wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, and I know why Winter runs his jobs the way he does, but I didn't care. I wouldn't change what happened for anything. I'd never been close to many guys, mostly because of my job, but in my gut something told me that Lester was different. Hell, even my heart was telling me that Lester was different. Was I really falling for a 29 year old Cuban/Scandinavian basket case?

I stepped out of the shower and snagged a towel off the rack, wrapping it round my body. Stop thinking about Lester and get your game face on, you silly cow I admonished myself. I had to pull myself together and keep my emotions in check so I could do this job. One slip and I'd drop all of us in the shite.

I padded out of the bathroom and onto the landing. Ric's voice drifted out of the other bedroom, but I couldn't hear anyone else. Listening closely, I picked up bits of the conversation. Ahh, he was talking to Stephanie on the phone, unless there was someone else he called 'babe.' I doubted it. Good, they needed to sort their fucked up relationship out for everyone's sake. Don't get me wrong, it had been fun these past few years, but I knew as well as Ric that it was never anything more than sex. Best friend he may be, but there was no way I could handle an actual relationship with him. We'd have shot each other within a week.

Now Ric and Steph, well I had hopes for them. They balanced each other out and she'd keep him in the light. Hell, anyone who could make that boy smile was alright in my book. I'd need to deal with the cop if they didn't get together of their own accord. I was pretty sure I could think of something to make her leave him if I had to.

My room was empty as the guys were all downstairs, so I decided to put my makeup on first and then deal with the clothes. Can you believe that I had to get Ella to buy me makeup? I didn't own any of the damn stuff. That woman was a God send; why didn't we have an Ella in Boston?

Crash helmets and makeup didn't really mix, so I kept it light, bit of blush, black eye liner, black mascara and some amazing silver glittery eye shadow. I'd stick my lippy on later, as it would be all over the inside of my helmet if I stuck it on now. I was going for the bike chick look, as the Haakon was a rock pub.

Whilst I had my head stuck in my duffel, looking for a top, I felt the air in the room move. No noise, but there was a change in the air current. There was only one person it could be.

"You want something Ric?" I asked as I turned round to look at him.

He gave me his half smile. "Just checking in. You nearly ready?"

"Sure, I just need to get dressed."

He shot me his wolf grin. "Don't mind me, Bailey."

I raised an eyebrow. If he wanted to play games then so be it. I let the towel fall to the floor and shrugged on a pair of black leather trousers as Ric watched my every move. I'd long since given up on being uncomfortable under his dark gaze.

"How's Steph doing?" I asked, baiting him a little.

His blank mask fell into place. "Fine."

Oh, so it was like that, was it? Holy Mary, Mother of God, what was it going to take to sort him out? And when would he realize that Steph was the woman for him? This fucking about needs to stop. Now. I wonder if he needs a little push. "Did Winter talk to you about this afternoon?"

More of the blank face look from Ric, but those little creases at the corner of his eyes told me he had no idea what I was talking about. Good. "I'm sorry I let you down. I know I said that I expected to be treated like everyone else, but it just happened, you know…" A little eyelash batting; look down and act repentant, I chided myself.

"What happened?" he said looking puzzled. I could tell he was puzzled because his left eye scrunched up a fraction.

"Winter didn't tell you?" I said, inducing a touch of panic into my voice.

"Tell me what," he growled.

Getting there, keep pushing those buttons, girl. "Nothing," I replied as I hit pay dirt in my top hunt and found a black silk cropped halter top that tied at the back of my neck and in the middle of my back.

I slid the cool material over my chest and walked over to him, holding my hair out of the way. "Make yourself useful and tie this for me please."

"What's going on, Lee?"

"Hmm, oh this afternoon… not a lot, really. It doesn't matter."

He dropped his hands onto my shoulders and squeezed, hard. "Something you want to tell me, Bailey?"

"IfuckedLester," I said in a rush.

Ric turned me round and looked at me, cocking his head to one side. He stared at me for a minute. I couldn't decipher the look either. Shit. Then he let go of my shoulders and asked, "You just fucking around with my cousin, or is there something serious going on?"

"I don't know." And that was the truth, but if it made Ric make a move on Steph then no matter what happened with Les and I, something good was going to come out of this. It was still way too early to tell if the serious lust problem Lester and I had was going to turn into anything more; besides he could be an arse like Snake turned out to be. Sex was good for me, but relationships were just a hassle, or they had been before. I wasn't going to give my heart to anyone just yet. My mind knew that, now I just had to convince my heart.

He sighed, "If you hurt him Bailey…."

I shot him my tried and tested bitch glare, "If I hurt him, what? You'll kill me?" I snapped. Hell, I was more worried about my own heart being broken. Lester's track record with women was appalling. I knew it wasn't all his fault, but I was seriously wondering if he could change.

"No, I just don't want to see him any more fucked up then he already is," Ric replied.

"You want me to stay away from him?"

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and gave me his own version of the bitch glare. "Did I say that?"

"No, but…"

"Lee… Les is a fucking mess right now and you're either gonna hurt him or mend him. If he's just a convenient fuck for a while then I think it would be best if you left him alone."

Oh, man I was pissed. I went from 0 to bitch in .45 seconds. "Piss off Ric! What about my fucking emotional state? What in God's name makes you think I'm any more sane than Lester? You have no idea what goes on in my head. You know, I get a little sick and tired of being your emotional crutch and while Les is a sodding loon half the time, least I know he wasn't thinking about some other woman whilst he was fucking me."

"Don't tell me you didn't think of him the other night," Ric growled.

"After, yes. During, no!" I yelled, punctuating each word with my finger, poking him in the chest. "Look, I've got a job to do, so if you don't mind…"

He turned on his heel and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him. Man, I didn't need that. But it was true, every damn word I said. I knew the second that woman walked into his life, because it changed him. It was in his eyes and in his actions. For two years I'd been her substitute in bed, but not any more, I'd had enough.

* * *

"Well?"

I looked at Lula as I snapped my cell phone shut. "What?" We were sitting in the food court at the mall, enjoying a welcome break from shoe shopping.

She grinned. "That was Batman, wasn't it?"

I couldn't help myself, a broad smile broke out on my face. "Maybe."

"Fuckin' A!" she squealed and high fived me. "So, why's Batman calling you from God knows where when you're shacked up with Super Cop?"

I shrugged. "Since when have I understood Ranger?"

"True, but it's kinda odd, don't ya think? Tank hasn't called me."

I felt a little bad for Lula. "I'm sure Tank's fine."

"Of course my man is fine. Nuthin's gonna happen to him, no way, no how…"

Nice to know that Lula lived firmly in denial land, right next door to me.

So…what ya gonna do about Batman?" she continued.

"What do you mean, Lula?"

"You gonna dump Morelli and run off with Batman?"

I sighed. "It's not like that."

Lula snorted. "Yeah, whatever white girl. You need to take chance on Ranger. If you want my advice, life's to short and think about all those doomsday orgasms you're missing out on."

"Well… maybe, I don't know. I know he cares, but somehow I feel like I've let him down."

"What the hell makes you say that, Steph?"

"Just something someone said to me the other day. I always feel that we're never on the same page at the same time."

"In who's book?"

"Everyone's."

"So the two of you write your own damn book. You listen to your mother and that boyfriend of yours too much. Try listening to your heart for a change. You haven't smiled in months and Tank says that Ranger has been acting like an ass since you moved in with Joe. What the hell is it gonna take for both of you to get it on?" she demanded.

"I don't know."

"How would you feel if you lost him?" Lula asked suddenly.

I pondered that horrid thought for a second. "Devastated. I don't know what I'd do if he was dead."

"And you're playing Susie home-maker with the cop? You're with the wrong man, white girl. You need to fix this fucked up mess."

"I know."

"Promise me Steph. Tell me that you'll talk to Ranger when he gets back."

"I promise."

"Swear it. Swear on your mother's pineapple upside-down cake," she demanded.

I grinned. "Okay, I swear on the mothers pineapple upside-down cake that when Ranger gets back, I will sit down and have a serious talk with him about the two of us. Happy now?"

"You bet!" Lula said.

* * *

Fucking hell, I hoped the Russians weren't doing their bloody shopping. We stood out like a sore thumb. Three Land Rovers and my Ducati Monster, eight men in black, one Scotsman in a kilt and me, the biker whore from hell, all in the small supermarket car park in Kyle of Lochalsh. People were staring and giving us a wide berth, except a small huddle of teenagers gathered in a dark corner smoking dope, that is. They were glancing at us with looks of awe and I wondered how long it would be before one of them was dared to come over. If they did, our line was that we were the SWAT team from Inverness on a drugs bust.

Beta team had gone over their plans already, so they shipped out first. Shortly after, Mac left. He wobbled up the road, planning on making the two mile journey over the Skye Bridge and into Kyleakin on foot. He had the drunk Scotsman act down to a fine art, as he looked and smelt like he'd been on a three day whiskey bender.

I still needed a wire and a tracker. Fuck knows where Mac was gonna put them. Eeewww. Hell, I didn't even want to think about it. Ric was sulking like a three year old. Yeah, the Mighty Manoso did sulk. You just had to know what to look for. It was his eyes and the hard set of his jaw that gave it away. I think Tank had picked up on it, but the rest of the guys hadn't noticed. Ric was still mad over our earlier spat and the fact that he had to sit on his arse in the back of a cramped Land Rover with Tank all night. Suck it up, boy. I don't know what he was complaining about. I'd much rather spend the night in a small confined space with Tank, than pick up a Russian nut case and pull off a honey trap in order to get information.

Winter brought me back down from planet anywhere but here as he handed me a small black box.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Wire and Tracker."

I opened the small black box. Fuckin' A! I get all the best toys to play with. My tracker was cleverly hidden in the large end ball on the black titanium banana bar for my navel piercing and the wire was hidden in the 5mm bone plug that would fit my largest ear piercing. Very clever and custom made. I grinned at Winter and pulled him toward me, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I love you, you get me the coolest gear."

Winter smiled. "And I'll love you even more when you've got that pretty arse of yours in gear and tested this stuff out."

The bone plug was the same size as the jet one that I already had in. Perfect fit. The tracker was perfect too. I dropped my own jewelery in the box the gear had come in and handed it to Bones. "Babysit those for me, will ya darlin'." I asked.

He slipped them into a cammie side pocket. "That okay?"

"Fine. Lets test this stuff and then I can get going."

The wire worked as well could be expected for it's size. I'd always known the wire was going to be difficult. There are not many places you can put one on a gig like this. Placing it in clothing could work, but if you took it off too far from the bed and the target got chatty between the sheets you could miss stuff. The best results always came from on-body wires and this baby was the shit. I didn't have to take it off and it didn't look suspicious. Perfect.

The tracker was working fine too, so I just needed the supplies Winter picked up for me this morning.

Winter pulled the three things off my list out of the back pocket in his ripped jeans and handed the first item to me.

I stripped the cellophane off the packet of twenty Richmond menthols, pulled four cigs out and dumped them on the bonnet of the Land Rover I was using as cover and removed another, sticking it between my lips. I took the cheap plastic disposable lighter from Winter's outstretched hand and lit the cig, taking a shallow drag, holding the smoke in my mouth and then blowing it out again. "Will I pass?" I asked him.

"Sure," he nodded.

I gave him the lighter back. "Run it down a bit for me will you. I don't want it to look full. Trash those four cigs too, a full pack is as bad as a new lighter."

"I'm afraid I could only get you boring condoms. They didn't have ribbed," He said with a cheeky grin, handing me a pack of six.

I ripped the box open and pulled three out, stashing them in my wallet. Three was more than enough. Hell, one was more than enough, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. I finished the cig and dropped the butt on the ground, putting it out with the toe of my para boot. "I'm gonna get moving. I'm gonna burn up to Broadford and back to clear my head. Okay?"

"Sure, babe. Head in about 9PM, I'll follow in about half an hour after that. Bones is outside, across the street monitoring your wire and Ric and Tank are in the square. Do what you need to do and we'll hopefully debrief when you get back in the morning. Remember, stay safe and if you need to bail, do so," he said handing me a warm and ｾ full lighter back.

I bumped fists with Bones and he gave me a quick hug, dropping a kiss on top of my head. "I got your back, baby."

"Cheers B," I replied.

"I don't need to tell you to watch your ass, kiddo," Tank said. "Remember to only do what you're comfortable with."

I smiled and picked my helmet up. "I know."

Ric looked over at me with a major blank face on. "Thank you," was all he said.

"You can thank me later when I've got us something to work with," I replied as I swung my leg over my bike and started the engine.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The King Haakon Bar was a shit hole, and it was pretty heaving, as it was a Friday night. There was a dance floor in the far left corner and the D.J was playing Metallica. The bar was along the right hand wall and the rest of the place was scattered with tables. Mac was propping the bar up, pint in hand and the targets were clustered round a table in the back corner of the bar. There was six of them in total and a couple of them were already entertaining women. Shit, I was going to have my work cut out making contact in this crowd. I didn't want a minion, I needed Konstantin or Marko and looking at the two of them, I think my money was on Marko.

Konstantin had short blond spiked hair, blue eyes and a sharp angular face. Even his picture in the file had got me spooked. It was his eyes, they looked hollow. To be honest, he scared the shit out of me. Marko was blond too, but his hair curled to his shoulders and his blue eyes had looked softer and his features more rounded. It was like looking at the same person drawn by two different artists. Marko, definitely Marko. He seemed to be capable of smiling too.

I headed over to the bar, flashed my cleavage and the barman hurried over. "Yes, love?"

"I'll have a pint of…" I looked up and down the bar at the pumps. "Guinness," I said in the thickest Irish accent I could muster.

And so I settled in for the waiting game, watching the targets over the rim of my pint glass. Every so often a couple of them would go outside for a smoke and then return. I needed to wait for Marko to go out for a cig and then I could put my plan into action. Who'd have thought the Scottish smoking ban would provide such a useful tool as 'smirting' – Smoking and Flirting. In the past it would be difficult to approach a target, but with smirting, you just walked up to them outside and asked for a lighter, or if you could scrounge a cig. Such a wonderful ice breaker.

Show time. Marko was on the move along with one unidentified Russian minion. I weaved through the crowd and out the back door to the smoking area. There where a few people dotted round here and there and I plonked my arse down on the top of a picnic bench, feet on the seat. Marko was standing to my left about eight feet away. I put my pint down and shrugged my leather jacket off, fished my cigs from the pocket and 'looked' for my lighter.

"Fuck," I muttered, as I stood up and patted down the pockets of my leathers. I looked over at Marko and Minion 1, "Sorry mate, but I've lost my lighter. Could I get a light," I asked him.

Marko nodded and stepped closer, sparking his Zippo and offering me a light. I lit my cig and inhaled the minty smoke. "Cheers."

"No problem," he said in a thick Russian accent.

I cocked my head and looked up at him. "What's your accent?" I asked, playing dumb.

"I am from Russia," he said, putting his lighter away.

"Cool."

"And you?" he quizzed.

"Ireland, near Cork." I offered him my hand. "Dervla."

He shook my outstretched hand. "Marko."

I fought the urge to wipe my hand on my pants and plastered a fake smile on my face "Nice to meet you, Marko. You on holiday too?"

"I am here for work."

"Work? Oh too bad. What you doing?" Keep smiling, girl. Lean forward a bit so he can see down your top. Gotcha!

"I am working in a hotel," he said, talking directly to my cleavage.

He could have come up with a slightly better cover story than that. Minion 1 had finished his cig and was standing round looking bored. "Makes a change from Russia," I said. Man, I hated small talk, but I didn't think 'Gee, let's go back to yours so I can fuck you till I wear you out so then I can go snoop around and dig up Intel' would work very well.

"_Leave us alone, Urial_." Marko said to Minion 1. And like the good flunky he was, he went back inside.

"Scotland is nice. I like it here," he said, returning his attention to me.

"It reminds me of home, everyone's so nice and friendly." I tossed my long hair over my shoulder and smiled again.

He smiled and it reached his eyes. "Yes, so tell me, Dervla, why is a pretty woman here all alone?"

I shrugged. "Fancied a holiday, so I packed a bag, stuck some… petrol in my bike and rode. I just ended up here." Shit! I nearly said gas instead of petrol. That would have given me away for sure. Get with the fucking program, woman. I drained the rest of my pint for liquid courage. I was scared. Shit scared. All these guys were dangerous. So I worked with a bunch of dangerous men, but I knew them and they were on my side. If I fucked this up I could so easily end up dead and I still had plenty of things I wanted to do with my life, thank you very much. Lester was up there at the top of that list at the moment. This mission was difficult and emotionally draining. I looked at Marko again and suppressed a shudder. When I got him into bed later it wouldn't be so much as lay back and think of Ireland, more like lay back and pretend it's Lester.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Marko asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Sure, I'll have another pint of Guinness," I said as I grabbed my jacket and headed back inside. Getting there, Lee. Stick with the plan and it's gonna be a done deal.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Stakeouts were my forte. I could easily sit there for hours and hours and it wouldn't bother me, but tonight was different. There was so much riding on all this and I was stuck here sitting on my ass in the square in Kyleakin, I felt like my hands were tied. I was a firm believer in never expecting any of my team to do something I wasn't willing to do myself, so to have my men out there doing something I could be doing myself was so frustrating.

I sighed and Tank looked over at me.

"Something on your mind, Ric?"

I scrubbed my hands over my face. "I hate this."

He smiled, "Yeah, me too. But the guys know what they're doing."

"I'm just worried."

"About Lee?"

I glared.

"She's a clever girl, Ric. Besides, she does this kind of shit for Winter all the time, he told me that and he said she was fucking good too, no pun intended."

I sighed again. "It's not fair to her, sending her in like that. This is my fuck up and she shouldn't have to do what she's doing just to save my ass."

"She could have said no, man. If she had a problem with it then she wouldn't have put herself on the line in the first place. Just let her do her job."

I nodded. "Beta have been quiet. Do you think they've got anything yet?"

"I don't know. It's still day light so they're gonna struggle to get close to the house until it gets darker. I can check in with them if you like," he said, reaching for the radio.

"No, they're due to check in at 11:45PM I'm sure if there was something going on they'd let us know."

"Did you check in with the office?"

"Yeah, Trenton is quiet. Nothing going on that Junior can't handle. Boston is falling apart because Marcus is a prick. He's already pissed off the night shift guys and sacked Andy."

"What? Why'd he sack Andy?" Tank demanded.

I laughed. "Andy called him a 'fucking idiot', so he sacked him. I got Junior to call Andy and tell him not to worry about it. If I had anyone to spare, I'd send them up to Boston to take over, but I can't think of anyone to do the job."

"What about Steph?"

"What?" Was he joking?

"She's another very clever woman, Ric. Or had you forgotten that? She's more than just a pretty face, you know."

I cracked my knuckles and shot him a glare.

"How old are you, man?" Tank asked with a grin.

"32, why?"

"Then act your age, Rangeman. Stop getting defensive every time someone mentions Steph's name. We aren't stupid you know, we know about your feelings for her. She's not the dirty little secret you think she is."

"There is nothing going on between us."

"I know, and that's the problem. If you want her then you're gonna have to do something about it."

"She's with Morelli, Tank."

"Only because you are a fucking idiot Ric," he said.

"This conversation is over Tank." I growled. I did not want to talk about Steph right now.

Tank raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Whatever."

* * *

I'd spent most of the night sat outside chatting with Marko and I was pretty certain that I was going home with him tonight. And I really wasn't looking forward to it, but unfortunately it was unavoidable. Only thing was, I'd sunk five pints of Guinness and I was getting a bit tipsy. And I was bloody cold. The top was skimpy and my leather jacket was not designed for warmth, more for body protection if I came off my bike. I shivered.

"Cold?" Marko asked.

"Yeah, a little."

"I have something that will warm you up," he said with a smile. He pulled a hip flask from his back pocket and handed it to me.

"What's this?"

"Russian Vodka. Drink that and then you will not feel the cold."

I laughed, "I'll bet. Thank you." I unscrewed the cap and took a swig. Holy fucking shit! It felt like my throat was on fire.

"Good, no?"

I coughed, "Yeah, good." I rasped out, handing him the flask back. Damn, that shit was strong. I needed to stay with the program here.

He grinned and took a swig himself. "So Dervla, do you have plans for tonight."

"No, why?" I said giving him a coy look. Go girl, just reel him in. You can do this. You've taken one for the team before and you can do it again.

"Maybe you would like to come back with me for, how you say here, coffee?"

"Coffee?" I said raising an eyebrow. Hell, the cute foreigner routine was wearing a little thin. Good job I knew just how dangerous he was, he could charm the pants off most women.

"Da, coffee."

"Sure, why not," I said. "Let me finish my pint, unless you are in a rush…"

"No, I can wait until you finish your drink."

I lit another cigarette for want of something to do and took another sip of my Guinness. Marko inched closer and slid his arm round my waist. The sides of our bodies pressed together as we sat on the table and I leaned into him, stealing his body heat. I was feeling pretty drunk. Maybe it was time to leave. If I passed out in his bed then all this would be for nothing. The Irish woman in me protested at the thought of leaving half a pint of Guinness, but my common sense was telling me I'd drunk enough, more than enough. That vodka must have been some really strong shit, as I suddenly felt very drunk and the world started to spin. Oh fuck! Had the bastard drugged me? Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Think woman, say you need the toilet and get the fuck out of here. My gut was suddenly telling me that somehow my cover was blown. How, I had no idea, but my gut instinct had kept me alive for the last nine years and I wasn't about to ignore it now.

"I'm just going to go to the toilet, I'll be back in a second," I said and stood up. The ground shot up to meet me as my legs gave way.

Strong arms held me upright. "_I don't think you are bitch. I think you are coming with me."_ Marko growled.

I tried to stamp down on his foot, but my legs wouldn't co-operate. Fuck! This was not in the God damn plan. No one was paying me any attention, as to the casual observer I just looked like I'd had too much to drink. I looked up, my vision was going but it was definitely Konstantin who had just appeared in front of me.

"_Ah, Manoso's little whore_," he said, caressing my cheek.

"_Fuck you!" _I spat.

He smiled and I choked back the bile rising in my throat. I was dead.

" _Manoso won't want you back when we have finished with you. Then again, you'll all be dead, so it won't matter_."

Between him and Marko they hauled me upright and began to move toward the back exit. I felt myself sag in their arms and then the world went black.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Man I need a piss," Snake grumbled over the comms.

"Shut up, you idiot," Bobby hissed back.

Bobby and I were lying in the undergrowth at the front of the house, whilst Danny and Snake were hiding in the tree line at the back of the property. It had been as dull as fuck. The bastards were in there alright, but we couldn't get close enough until it got dark. I reckoned that we had at least another hour of sitting here before we could even think of going in.

We needed to plant bugs in each room and see if they had stupidly left anything incriminating lying about.

I looked over at Bob, "Man, I've missed this shit," I whispered. Ranger doesn't let me out to play too often these days.

Bobby grinned. "Yeah, me too."

"I live for this shit!" I stage whispered. "Vin Diesel eat your heart out"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Smart ass," he said with a smile. "How you doin' bro, really?"

"Good. I feel good. What about you, man?"

He shrugged and shifted his position on the ground slightly. "Hangin' in there. Fucking blinding headache, though."

He pulled a bottle out of his pocket, tipped two pills into his hand and swallowed them down.

"What are those?" I asked.

"Just for my headache."

I snatched the bottle out of his hand. It was a plain pill bottle with nothing on it. I flipped the cap and tipped a couple out onto my palm. Little green and white capsules, very familiar looking green and white capsules. Son of a bitch!

"What the hell are you doing, Bob?" I hissed.

"What?"

"Fucking Prozac! For the love of God, man. How much of this shit are you taking?"

"Enough to get by. Just drop it, Les."

"It doesn't make it go away, Bobby. It just papers over your problems, I thought you'd know that by now. You know I won't touch this shit," I spat.

He looked at me and glared. "You're not the only one with problems, you know. I was there too and they did the same shit to me," he growled.

I opened my mouth to respond when my ear piece beeped twice. It was the Alpha command truck.

"Yo, what's up man?" I responded.

Bones' voice crackled over the airwaves. "Get your fucking ass out of there, our cover's blown. Meet up at the rendezvous."

Shit! I looked at Bobby and we began crawling backwards to the truck. I heard a noise, a very familiar noise and hugged the deck. The bastards were shooting at us. It sounded like a high power rifle fitted with a silencer. A bullet lodged itself in the ground inches from my head. Fuck. There was no point in shooting back as I couldn't see them. The fuckers, they must have been watching us all along. I keyed my mic three times to tell Danny and Snake to get the hell out of there and kept moving backwards. Bobby was still with me. "You okay?" I asked.

"Sure. Fucking bastards," he spat. "What the hell is going on? How do they know we're here?"

"Fuck knows." I had no idea. I just hoped to God that the other teams where okay.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The radio crackled. "Get your fucking ass' in here now. It's going to rat shit," Bones yelled.

I looked at Tank and climbed over into the driver's seat. I cranked the engine over and the V8 roared to life. We must have been all of 100 yards from the pub when I could see a crowd out in front of the building. Screeching to a halt, I pulled up next to Bones' vehicle. The three of us hit the ground running. It looked like there was a fight going on and the bouncers were trying to break it up. Mac and Winter where in the middle of what looked like four Russians, though our boys seemed to be holding their own.

We waded in and I caught one of the guys square in the jaw with my fist and he hit the floor like a sack of shit. He was out cold. Winter had managed to get another in a choke hold and Tank had one slammed up against the side of the building, with his elbow locked behind his back. There was a snap and the guy screamed. "Ooops," Tank said with a laugh. Looks like that guy's gonna be needing a trip to the A&E tonight.

I heard sirens in the distance. Fuck. Time to get out of here. Bones hauled Mac up off the floor and swore. Mac had what looked like a knife wound to the thigh. I could see blood running down his leg. I looked at Winter, he had a bloody nose. "Where's Lee?" I asked.

He looked at me and I felt my blood run cold. Fuck.

One of the Russians who was still standing looked at me and laughed. _"The boss took her home for a little fun. If you want her back, come and get her."_

I lunged at him, but Winter pulled me back. "Come on, man. We need to get out of here before the police turn up. We know where Lee is. We'll get her out, she'll be fine."

Beta were already at the rendezvous when we got there. Bobby was putting pressure on Snake's shoulder while Lester was pulling out med supplies.

I looked at Bobby. "Shoulder shot, clean through. I don't think there will be any lasting damage, but we won't know until we get Snake to a hospital," he responded.

"That's not an option right now. Can it wait 24 hours?"

Bobby pulled the gauze pad away from the entry wound and looked at it, repeating the process with the exit wound. "I guess so, but he's out of action. I need to dress this and put his arm in a sling to minimize movement until it can get looked at properly."

I nodded. "Check Mac out when you get a second. I think he took a knife wound to the leg."

Bobby turned to Lester. "Hold," he snapped and Lester took over holding the field dressings in place.

Mac eased himself up onto the tailgate of the Land Rover and pulled his kilt up. There was a five inch gash in his thigh. Thankfully, it didn't look too deep from where I was standing. Bobby poked and prodded. "I can tape this together, it's not that bad. Could do with keeping weight off it, mind you."

Shit. I had to pull off a clean up with one hostage and two injured men. We needed to pull the blue prints out and get a plan together fast.

"Cuz?"

I looked over at Lester. "Yeah, man?"

"Where's Lee?"

Now was not the time for lies, so I was stuck with the cold hard truth. "The Russians got her."

Lester went as white as a sheet and he closed his eyes. Fuck, he looked about ten seconds from a meltdown. Danny took over applying pressure to Snake's shoulder and Bobby sat Les down and pushed his head between his knees. He rubbed small circles on his partners back and whispered quietly to him. I glanced at Tank.

"I'll get those schematics. We've got a plan to formulate," he said.

"Ric?" Lester whispered.

I looked at Lester again. "Yeah."

"If you're too late this time, I swear to God, I will kill you."


	12. Chapter 11

A/N: thanks to Trish, Beth, Stayce and Em for proof reading, suggestions and support.

* * *

She'd been gone three hours by the time we had pulled a plan together. We moved around easily in the darkness, fitting body armour and checking weapons. The plan was simple; hell we all knew that any plan never survived first contact with the enemy anyway. Mac and Snake would cut the power to the house and simultaneously we would enter though the front and rear of the building, kicking the doors down and throwing in flash bang grenades.

We'd got infrared to check out the surrounding area first, just to make sure there was no one out there and we also had our 4th generation night vision goggles. I just hoped that our toys were better than theirs. Winter had point at the front and Danny had point at the back. No one wanted me in the line of fire. I didn't care, as I just wanted to get this shit over with. We'd lost comms with Lee by the time we got to the rendezvous and to be truthful I was thankful for that. Lester looked sick; we where both thinking the same thing.

Winter looked over at me and I understood how he got his name. Cold, harsh and deadly. He'd have the criminal underbelly of Trenton running for the hills within five minutes of his arrival if he worked for me. He was one scary motherfucker; I just hoped his attitude worked on the Russians. He checked his weapons over one last time, added another magazine for his H & K MP5 SD2 sub machine gun to a pocket, and gave me a curt nod. "We good to go?"

I looked at my guys and they all nodded the affirmative. Yeah, it looked like we were.

The track to the farmhouse was fairly obvious from the road and offered us no cover for the vehicles. We were forced to leave them on the access road to the local quarry, on the other side of the main road. Nothing like operating in a busy area to add to our problems. We stepped out of the trucks and did a comms check. I wasn't leaving anything to chance now.

The next hurdle was crossing the main road. Thankfully there were no houses on this stretch of road; otherwise it would have been an interesting sight for someone looking out of their living room window. I looked round at the team and indicated to them with a nod of the head to cross the road. We crouched low in the bushes at the side of the road and waited for a truck to pass. Once its taillights had vanished in the distance Winter and Danny crossed the tarmac, vanishing into the ditch on the other side. The rest of the guys followed in pairs until I was the only one remaining. With one last check that it was clear, I slunk across the road and hit the ditch.

"We all okay?" I asked.

"Affirmative," came the replies. Good. We walked 50 yards up the road to the turning, constantly checking for signs of life and slipped into the trees that lined the dirt road.

"We need to sweep for unfriendlys," I whispered. "You know the drill if there is anyone out there," I continued, tapping the side of my MP5 for emphasis. We were all carrying the SD2's as they were fitted with silencers. Can't have someone calling the police because they thought they heard gunshots in the woods.

Danny, Les, Bobby and Bones crossed the track and melted into the darkness. I looked at the remaining guys and nodded. Winter, Tank and I pulled off our night vision goggles and picked up our thermal imaging binoculars from around our necks and split off from Mac and Snake. We had about 200 yards to cover before we got to the house, plus we'd need to check to make sure that they couldn't come around from behind us. The new thermal imaging gear we had was the shit. It could detect changes in temperature to half a degree. We could even tell if someone had driven down the road in the last few minutes; they hadn't.

It was slow progress through the trees. It must have taken us 10 minutes to cover the short distance, but I wanted to keep one step ahead of these guys. We were outnumbered nearly two to one and I couldn't afford any more casualties. About once a minute the team on the other side of the road checked in by keying their mikes. They were telling me it was all clear so far. Good. I needed to pull this off. We needed Bailey out and either Konstantin or Marko alive. The rest were just target practice. I was not fucking around here; someone wanted me dead, had injured two of my men and had taken one hostage. I was in my zone; my killing zone and nothing was going to stop me from achieving my goal.

We reached the tree line by the house at the same time as the other team. Winter and Bones split off on either side to circle round the house to make sure there was no one waiting to come at us from behind. Getting shot in the back was not an option. Time ticked by and the waxing moon slid out from behind a cloud. It cast its wan light over the building briefly and disappeared behind another bank of cloud. Even the moon was with us tonight. I wasn't one for omens, but it was nice to have help from the heavens right now.

Winter and Bones checked in. All clear. Strangely that made me suspicious; I'd have put a couple of snipers on watch if I was in their position. I looked over at the house, all the lights were blazing and the curtains were drawn. We had no idea where they all were and hadn't had the time to get a thermal satellite feed to help us. The imaging gear we had was good and would tell us if someone was close to the window, but beyond that we were blind.

My earpiece clicked twice. Mac and Snake were in position to cut the power. I keyed back once to confirm I knew they were set and waited for Bones and Winter to return. Tank looked at me in the sparse light from the house and smiled, his teeth shining against the dark. "I got your back, bro," he whispered faintly.

I nodded in response. "Remember," was all I said.

He knew what I meant. If I went down, he was in charge. And if all was lost then he was to blow the place to smithereens. He was packing enough explosives to fly to the moon. We had to take them out first and foremost. If we got Lee out alive then that was a huge bonus and if we got a hostage of our own then we were having a very good day. The only advantage we had was surprise, and that would only last for a matter of seconds.

Winter rejoined us and we scanned the house for body readings. The windows blazed bright heat, but I managed to make out a couple of bodies in the kitchen and at least one in the dining room. There were three rooms downstairs, four on the first floor and three more in the attic. The first floor rooms looked clear and I had no way of telling if there was anyone in the attic. Luckily there was no cellar for them to hide in. At least that's what the blue prints told us.

I gestured my findings to my team and the two of them nodded in agreement. I keyed the frontal assault team and they keyed back. We were all set so we put our night vision goggles back on. Tank swung his M249 SAW machine gun to his hip and gave me a grim smile. Winter checked his Sig and slipped the safety off. He pulled a couple of flash bangs from his cammie pocket and shifted his MP5 into position. "Fortes fortuna iuvat," he whispered as he bumped fists with Tank and I.

Fortune favors the brave? I damn well hoped that it did.

I opened the comms link. "Rear guard, on my first mark. Assault units on my second mark," I whispered. Static crackled over the airwaves and I checked the moon one last time to make sure it was still hidden in a large bank of cloud.

"Mark."

There was silence and then suddenly the lights went out in the house.

"Mark," I hissed and the three of us set off towards the back door. Winter on point, reached it first and put his shoulder to it. The door gave way and swung inwards and he tossed in a couple of flash bangs. They were the new model that gave off a bright white light and emitted a series of loud bangs. They were fantastic at disorientating the enemy. Our night vision was hi-tech enough to cope with the light and I managed to get a quick look in the kitchen. Three men.

As Winter dropped low, I went high, hugging the doorjamb. Tank stepped to my right and used the other side of the door as cover. I took out the man at the kitchen table in an instant, two shots to the chest and one to the head, while Winter handled the one nearest the door. The third guy managed to gain cover behind the breakfast bar, or so he thought. Winter pulled the pin from a grenade with his teeth and tossed it to the back of the room. I heard a string of expletives in Russian and then a bang as the grenade detonated. Three down, nine to go.

The sound of rapid fire made me jump. I peered round the doorjamb and looked at the two men Tank had just dropped with his M249. Five down, seven to go. Winter slid into the room and focused on the door into the hall, sitting room and dining room, while Tank checked the bodies. Dead. I hung back and kept an eye on our exit. The adrenaline was pumping through my body and I felt fucking invincible. They were going down. Every single last one of them.

I could hear gunfire at the other end of the house. Looks like the Front team was meeting resistance.

"Living room clear, one down." came Danny's voice over the radio.

Good, just the dining room and then we could clear upstairs. Six down, Six to go. "We'll hold the hall, meet us there," I responded.

Winter moved cautiously into the hall while Tank covered the dining room door. I split my vision between the back door and the hall. I still didn't trust the bastards. I could see Danny out of the corner of my eye as his team swept into the dining room. They got to within six feet of the hall and then it went to hell. Two grenades were dropped into the hall from the first floor landing.

"Grenade!" Winter yelled as he dove through the kitchen door way. Tank managed to slam the door shut and we hit the deck as wood splintered all around us. The Russians used the confusion to their advantage and swept down the stairs. There were four of them and we had no cover. We were sitting ducks in the shattered doorway. Danny's team recovered first and Lester took out their point. He tumbled down the last few steps and came to rest in the middle of the ruined hall. Their second man took aim at us and we scrabbled for cover. I heard the sound of machine gun fire and hugged the wall. Winter swore and I looked over at him.

"Fucking bastards!" he yelled and pulled another grenade from his pocket. "Fire in the hole!" he shouted as he lobbed it into the hallway.

The grenade exploded and there was nothing but silence.

"You okay, man?" I asked.

Winter was pale. "One to the thigh, one to the back."

"Bad?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, help me stand."

I pulled Winter off the floor and he leaned heavily against the wall. "Amateurs," he spat.

I raised an eyebrow in response.

"They're not even using armor piercing rounds. Fucking idiots."

I looked over at Tank and he nodded his head. "I'm good."

"Report," I barked over the mike.

"All A okay. They were aiming for you," Danny responded.

I peered back into the hall. There were two dead Russians and a lot of debris. That left two flunkies and the two in charge alive. I wasn't sure what they expected us to do, but I had been sure that they would be better prepared than this. Something felt off to me.

I crept back to the doorway and made eye contact with the other team. Bones jerked his head towards the stairs and I nodded. Now for the hard part.

The stairs spiraled round on themselves, taking up three walls, so there was no way you could see who was at the top when you were standing at the bottom. Bones slid into the hallway and pulled a small mirror out of his pocket. The handle was telescopic and he extended it to its full length. Slowly he eased himself down onto the rubble-strewn carpet and pushed the mirror forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the upstairs landing. There was total silence from my team and no noise from above either. We were playing a waiting game and I was running low on patience.

Finally, after what felt like hours, even though it must have been a minute at the most, Bones pulled back and picked his way across the hall to me. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear. "One at the top of the stairs and one on the landing. They don't have night vision, so if we're quiet we could pull this off."

"Either of them Konstantin or Marko?" I asked.

He shook his head, "No, doesn't look like it. Seems that we're saving the best for last."

"Okay. Someone needs to take point. Winter?" I asked, looking round at him.

He was still leaning heavily against the wall with the weight off one leg. "Negative," he responded.

"Bobby, deal with Winter. Danny, take point. Les, Bones, back him up. Tank take the back door, I'll take the front. Let's end this, gentlemen," I whispered in the dark.

We moved into position and Danny silently eased up the first few steps until he reached the first corner. He dropped down on one knee and took aim at the guy at the top of the stairs. Lester moved up next to him and sighted in on the man on the landing. Simultaneously they both fired three shots in rapid succession. One of the Russians got a shot off before he went down. It arced through the darkness and missed Lester's head by inches. Lester flinched slightly, but didn't move.

It was silent again and the three men inched their way up the stairs. Bobby slid past me in the hall and followed them, ramming a modified clip home on his MP5. He was now packing tranquillizer darts. Here's hoping that we got to shoot the bastards with those. I wanted them alive; well for the moment anyway. I needed information, but after that, we'd see.

A voice cut through the darkness. "Captain Manoso, I know you are out there. I would talk with you, please."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I want nothing captain, but I have what you need," the heavily accented voice replied.

"What do I want?"

"Information. And the girl."

"You'll give me both?" I didn't believe him for a second.

"You can have one."

"What makes you think that you are in a position to call the shots, Konstantin?" I was guessing it was him, I didn't think he would let his 2IC talk for him. I didn't need Tank to speak on my behalf.

He laughed and the sound bounced off the walls, echoing round the hall. "Why do you think I let you get this far?"

"Because you're fucking stupid," Lester whispered in the darkness.

"You have a plan then?" I shouted up the stairs.

"Yes. You can have the information you so desperately require, or you can have the girl. If you choose the information then I will give it to you, but then you walk away. If you choose the girl, you can take her and then you must leave. If I think you are going back on the agreement then I will blow this house up with us all in it. Did you not notice the charges round the building?"

"Why the choice?" I signaled Bones and he slipped back down the stairs, looking for any trace of explosives in the downstairs rooms.

"Because I want to get out of this alive just as much as you do, Manoso."

I was fucking confused. What the hell was going on? "I don't understand."

"When I took this mission," the voice from upstairs said, "It was just you. I thought I could take you out with just five men. You have a serious reputation, Ranger. We were all set and I thought you'd never know what hit you. And then they called. You were bringing a team. I am good, my men are good, but against you and a team? I knew right then that I would loose men and maybe my own life. I am a man of calculated risks and I am aware that my only option to get out of this alive is to have something to trade. Your government do not care about me. They do not give a damn if I live or die. So I want to trade the information or the girl for my life and that of my partner."

"Who are you working for?" I demanded to the dark.

Konstantin laughed, "Is that your choice? I thought you'd want the girl. Pretty little thing isn't she."

"Let me see her."

"I am sorry, but she is a little indisposed right now," he said.

Bones slid back into my field of vision. He drew his finger across his throat. Fuck, the bastard wasn't lying; this place was rigged to blow. Shit. Think Manoso, think. I was well and truly screwed. If I took the Intel then Lester would kill me and Winter would probably help him hide my body. If I took Bailey out of here then I'd still have a death sentence hanging over me and Lee would be pissed that I chose her over the information. How could I get both?

I sighed. "I need some assurance that Lee is okay, Konstantin."

"Fine, come upstairs. Just you, unarmed," he offered.

Did I look that stupid? "I want my Medic to check Bailey over to make sure she is okay. I'm going to send him up with one other man. My medic won't be armed, but the other guy will. You let them do that and then we will come to an agreement, okay?"

Silence stretched for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Konstantin answered. "That is acceptable."

I motioned Danny and Bobby over to me. Lester stayed on the stairs and Bones joined him. Leaning in close I whispered to Bobby. "Give your gun to Danny, and leave one of your back up pieces with me, put the other in your pocket. Danny, use Bobby's MP5, it's fitted with tranquilizers. Either of you got a stun gun?"

Bobby handed over his MP5 to Danny and gave me his Sig, while Danny handed his own MP5 to Winter who was still leaning heavily against what was left of the kitchen doorframe. Finally, Bobby pulled a stun gun out of his pocket and switched it on. "What do you want us to do, Ranger?"

"Go check on Lee. If those bastards have hurt her in any way then I'm going to fucking kill them both. I'm gonna give you a minute to check her over and then I'm going to shout up to you for a status update. If she is fine then I want you to answer 'Bailey's fine.' If she is hurt in any way then I want you to answer 'She'll live.' Got that?"

"Yeah, boss. Then what?"

"If she really is okay then come back down stairs. If they've laid a finger on her, both of you assess the situation. If you think you can take them both down, while keeping one of them alive then do so. I don't want either of you getting shot. Do I make myself clear?"

"Affirmative," they both replied.

"I'm sending my men up," I yelled.

The two of them ascended the stairs slowly and cautiously. I moved up with Les and Bones so I could see what was going on. Konstantin met them on the landing; he was wearing night vision too. He looked down at me and nodded.

"In here," he said, pushing a door open.

Bobby stepped gingerly inside a door off the landing. His Maglite clicked on and I heard him moving around in the room. Danny and Konstantin faced each other, watching the other warily.

I counted to sixty slowly in my head. "Bobby?" I called.

The torch clicked off. "She'll live," he responded.

Fucking bastards! I pulled my Glock from the small of my back and shot Konstantin in the head. Bobby slammed the door shut behind him and Danny hit the deck. "I want Marko alive!" I yelled. "Where are you, you bastard?"

The three of us rushed up the stairs and Lester kicked the nearest door open. A bullet whistled past us and we crouched down. "Danny, take him out," I whispered.

Danny crawled along the landing and looked into the room. "Come on, you git. Where the fuck are you hiding?" he muttered. He adjusted his night vision goggles, pulled a flash bang from his pocket and tossed it into the room. The grenade flashed white in the grey light and another couple of shots were fired from the far side of the bed. "Cover me," he breathed.

I aimed at the far wall and let off a quick burst of gunfire as Danny crawled across the room to the bed. Slowly he eased the bed skirt up and peered under the bed. The bed didn't have a solid base, so he could just about squeeze under it.

"Come on you bastard!" I yelled. "Can't you even shoot me?"

Marko fired another few shots off in the direction of the door and then there was a sudden thump.

"He's down," Danny called out. "I've stunned the fucker. You want me to tranq him too?"

"No," I replied as I got to my feet. "Bones, secure that piece of shit. I need to check on Lee."

I knocked on the door that Bobby had slammed shut when things went crazy on the landing. "It's just me, Bob. I'm going to open the door."

"Okay," he replied.

I pushed the door open and took in the scene in front of me. This was the bathroom. Bobby's body blazed red heat through my night vision goggles and he was crouched over the cold bath tub. I pushed him out of the way and looked down at the yellow naked body in the tub. The tiles around the bath showed up a deep blue, but they were splattered with something that was pale blue. I didn't for one second believe that it was water. Fuck!

"She's alive, barely. I need to get her out of here."

"We all need to get the fuck out of here," I responded.

I felt movement behind me and turned round. It was Lester. I moved to block his view of the tub. "You don't need to see this, man," I said.

"Is she…" he said in a trembling voice.

"No."

"I have to…"

"No you don't. Go take over from Tank on the back door and send him up here. Now."

"I…"

"I said now, soldier, move it!" I barked. I did not need my cousin falling apart as well.

Lester responded to my order out of habit more than anything else and headed back down stairs. I looked back at Bobby. "What are her injuries?"

"I don't fucking know man, it's too difficult to tell. It looks like she's been cut up with a knife and beaten. I don't know why she's unconscious, it could be what they drugged her with, or they may have just knocked her out. Right now I need to get her warmed up and checked over. I want her stable ASAP, so I can sort her out properly back at base. See if you can find some blankets or something."

I went back out onto the landing and found Danny. Between him and Bones they'd stripped Marko of his weapons, body armor and boots. He was lying on his side with his hands cuffed behind his back; blood trickled out of his mouth.

"My fist slipped," Danny said by way of an explanation.

Shame. "One of you find some blankets for Bobby." I said.

Danny moved round the room, checking the closet and opening drawers. "Nothing useful."

"Hell, just take the comforter off the bed."

Danny snagged it and left the room just as Tank jogged up the stairs.

"What's the plan, Ranger?"

"We need to get all three vehicles here, load all the bodies into one of them, blow this place to fucking kingdom come and get back to base. Any questions?"

"How's Lee?"

"We won't know until Bobby gets a better look at her," I replied.

"Shit," he muttered. "Okay, I'll send Danny to go back to the trucks with Mac and Snake. I know they're injured, but they'll have to manage. It's gonna be light soon and we don't need to be seen here."

"I know, man. I want this place swept clean for Intel, equipment and phones. We may need to make contact with America at some point soon."

Tank gave me a grim smile. "I know you too well, man. What you planning?"

"You'll see."


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: Huge thanks to Trish for editing and Em for beating my muse with a stick.

* * *

Damn. What a cluster fuck. I sighed wearily and rubbed my hand over my face, trying to get my thoughts together, trying to pull all the pieces back into place. Damn it!

The early morning light was seeping slowly over the mountains as I stood at the back door of Winter's place, sipping coffee. I was trying to clear my head and get into my zone. It was easier said than done. Images of Lee lying unconscious in the bath resurfaced, closely followed by images of Pete, and then Manny lying dead in his brothers arms.

I needed to focus. Shit, I had to focus. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and shoved those painful images to the back of my mind. It didn't mean that they had gone away, it just meant that I could unpack them again when I had the time to deal with them, or at least be ready to think about the most recent one without wanting to vomit.

We were leaving as soon as we had tied up the loose ends here. Snake needed to be checked out properly and we couldn't do that here without someone asking too many questions. Mac had needed his leg re-stitched as he'd pulled the wound open again while retrieving one of the Land Rovers and Winter had a deep bullet graze to the thigh. There'd been nothing left to stitch and it was going to leave one hell of a scar.

And that was nothing in comparison to Bailey's injuries. Fuck!

Bobby was a good medic, very good in fact and he could handle most battlefield injuries. He'd patched Lee up when we got her back here, pumping her full of drugs and fluids. He dealt with the 106 stitches he'd had to put in with ease, but when she started screaming, he'd had to leave the room. Lester couldn't go within 12 feet of her, I'd not seen him this freaked out in a long time. In the end it had been Danny that had held her while she sobbed herself into an exhausted and fitful sleep. Only then could Bobby go back in the room again, and only then was it to push her shattered body into a drugged sleep, rather than the light and restless one she had been in at the time.

I could barely bring myself to look at her. She was a fucking mess. Her left eye was swollen shut, her entire body was covered in bruises and most of her torso and thighs had been sliced up. And the reason she was in that state? Me. She had put her life on the line to save my ass, and in the process had ended getting badly hurt. In time the wounds would heal and the scars would fade, but it wasn't those that I was worried about. It was the emotional scars that troubled me. I only had to look at Bobby and Lester sitting outside on the hood of a Land Rover to know that some things never went away.

To this day, I still had no idea what happened in those five days while they were held captive. Bobby went for counseling and Lester just kept it all bottled up inside, but however they chose to deal with it, it was still there.

If anything, it brought the two of them closer together and Bobby became the brother that Lester had lost.

Bobby drained the last of his coffee from his cup, patted Lester absently on the back and slid off the hood of the truck. He stopped walking when he got to me. "I'm sorry about earlier, Ric."

I looked at him and saw the tired haunted look in his eyes. "You don't need to apologize, I understand."

"Do you?" he responded. "You know, I don't think you do. You didn't see the look in her eyes when she came around."

I put my hand on his arm, but he shook it off. "Look, Bobby… We won't know for sure what happened until she chooses to tell us."

"I fucking know what happened, Ric. I know that look in her eyes. I've seen it in Lester's eyes for the last eight years and I see it in my own when I look in the Goddamn mirror. I know a victim of rape when I see one."

I looked at him and found myself at a loss for words. I'd been faced withrape victims before, but neversomeone so close to me. Bobby, my own cousin, and now Bailey had suffered the same fate. What do you say to that?I ran a hand through my hair in frustration and sighed. "Bobby, look I'm so sorry…"

"Save it Ric. I don't need you feeling sorry for me and neither does Les. And I'll bet Lee won't either. She knew the risks involved. Look, I need to check on her. I've fucked up once around her and I'm not about to do it again."

"You think she'll talk to you?" I asked.

"No, she's like Les. She's gonna bottle it all up and it's gonna eat her up inside till she falls apart."

"You think I should talk to her?"

"No. Let me handle it. But for fucks sake, if you do talk to her at all, wipe that look of pity off your face that you've got going on."

He pushed past me and went into the house. I looked over at Lester and he offered me a weak smile. I walked out to join him and put my hand on his leg. "How you doin' cuz?"

He shrugged, "Okay."

I decided to change the subject. "We'll be leaving tonight."

"Okay." He drew his feet up to rest on the hood, hugged his arms round his legs and rested his forehead on his knees.

"Les?"

"Hmmm," he answered without looking up.

"She's a tough woman. She'll be fine." Why don't I believe myself? Because I remember who Lester used to be, that's why.

He looked into my eyes over the top of his knees and sighed. "I was so fucking close, man."

Close to what? "I don't understand."

"Me, her… I thought she was mine. Now… who knows?"

"Les… I, hell man… I don't know what you mean."

"I don't know how she's gonna react to all this, everyone's different. It's gonna be a while before she can function without thinking about it. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she just disappears one day and we never hear from her again. All I want to do is hold her and take the pain away, but I can't. I can't make it right, only she can do that and I'm terrified that she's gonna do it without me," he said with a sigh.

I'd fucked up, and now more people were hurting...what Bailey hadbeen through, because I couldn't keep her safe. I should never have let any of them help me. Surely my death would have been better than putting my team through hell. There was so much pain and so much sorrow. So much so that I thought my heart would break from it all. For as long as I could remember, my actions had directly or indirectly hurt so many people and I was getting tired of it.

* * *

Danny was sitting at the kitchen table cleaning a couple of knives and a few of his guns. He dropped the cleaning cloth onto the table and leaned back in his chair. "Write me a list of the info you need from that bastard and I'll deal with it. Unless you wanna do it, man?"

Shit, Marko. I'd forgotten about him for a few minutes. We'd dumped his unconscious body in the gym in the basement when we got back. He'd been having problems with his balance and had managed to fall down the stairs. When Les had picked him up at the bottom to shove him into one of the Land Rovers he'd fallen over his own feet and caught his nose on Lester's fist. We'd had to put him in the back of the vehicle with his dead comrades in it. It was either that or put him in with Lee and I didn't want that bastard within five feet of her ever again.

Did I want to deal with Marko? No. Right now I wanted to hurt him so badly that I was afraid that I'd forget all about the information we needed. "You okay to deal with it, Danny?"

Danny stretched in the chair and rolled his neck. "Yeah, just let me have the list first. I'll finish the job while I'm down there. You got a plan for the bodies?"

"Thought we'd dump them out the back of the plane on the way home."

"Oh man, that's fucking sweet," he said with a smile. "I better go find Winter, he's gonna want to help me deal with Marko. You want to watch?"

It wouldn't be the first time I had watched something like that and I doubted it would be the last time either. Hell, I'd been known to get my hands dirty on a number of occasions over the years. But this time, no I didn't want to get involved. I'd do it if I had to, but I was worried that I'd just slit his throat and leave him to bleed to death. I was not in the right frame of mind for extracting information. I just wanted to cause pain, to make him suffer and make the light fade from his eyes.

"No, I'll leave it to the two of you."

"No worries."

I'd gone outside to sit with Lester when Marko started screaming. I didn't want to listen to the noises he was making. My soul was already stained enough as it was, I didn't need something else to keep me awake at night.

Twenty minutes later Danny joined us outside. His black clothes hid the bloodstains well, but there was a spray of blood across the left side of his face. He handed me a crumpled piece of paper and I unfolded it, mindful not to touch the blood splatters that covered it in places. The paper would hold the names of those who had set me up, how the Russians were contacting them and how often they were checking in. I looked down at the scrawl of information. Fuck.

"Team meeting, now!" I commanded as I pushed myself to my feet and strode back inside.

"What's going on?" Lester yelled to my back.

"Fucking chaos, that's what," I said back to him, though I'm not sure he heard me.

I sat down at the head of the kitchen table and the guys joined me. I looked round at them and sighed. There was no easy way to tell them this. "We have a plant in Rangeman Trenton. They're passing information to someone in the government."

Bobby put his head in his hands and sighed. "Fucking unbelievable," he muttered.

Tank shifted in his seat, he was wearing his 'I want to break something' look. "Who the fuck is it?" he demanded.

"Junior."

"What the fuck?" Lester said in shock. "Come on man, that's gotta be bullshit, right?"

I shook my head, "No." God damn it all to hell.

Bones rubbed his face with his hands and looked at me. "Why? I mean it doesn't make sense."

"Tell me about it," I murmured. Junior was Pete's kid brother. I'd always felt bad about what happened to Pete on that Phoenix Op and I'd promised myself that I'd at least amend it somehow. When Junior had finished his service I'd offered him a job and he'd done us proud over the years. He didn't talk about Pete much, but I'd always thought that he understood what went down on that mission.

It was never my fault that Pete and Manny ended up dead. I'd beaten myself up over it, but at the end of the day the reality was that they had simply died on my watch, not because of something I did or did not do. But Junior ratting us all out? His betrayal left me feeling numb, I had trusted him with my life, my teams' lives…

Tank looked over to me. "Who is he selling us out to?"

I gave him a grim smile. "Remember Clayton Nevis?"

"What?" Tank yelled, "That slimy two-faced little fucker! I'll cut his fucking balls off and feed them to him."

"Well, it's not him. Not directly, anyway. It's his big brother, General Richmond Nevis," I responded. I looked back down at the paper in my hands and shook my head sadly. Shit. Junior. Man, why? I thought again.

"Sorry, tell me to shut the fuck up if you like man, but what the hell is going on?" Winter asked.

"It's a long fucking story," I sighed. "Someone put the coffee on."

Danny got up to deal with it. He'd cleaned his face up and was wearing fresh clothes. "You want tea, Winter?"

"Sure. The good stuff's in that top cupboard."

Bobby grimaced. "I just don't get you guys," he mumbled.

Danny ignored him and Winter turned his attention back to me. "Well?"

"I first met Clayton Nevis in basic. Cocky bastard with a god complex. Thought he was the best at everything. Anyway, turns out he wasn't as good as all that, but I was. Whatever he did, I did it better or quicker. It didn't take him long to hate my guts and he started spreading shit about me. Thankfully, no one believed him and he ended up being the guy that no one liked, which made him hate me even more."

"So what?" Danny muttered. "You get arseholes like that all the time in the army. They usually make sergeant and spend their time scaring the shite out of the new recruits. What the hell is his problem?"

"Money. His father was some hotshot general and his big brother was already well on his way up the ladder. He was expected to do well. I think he only made Special Forces because of his connections; nobody liked working with him. He was a two faced shit. No one wants to work with someone they can't trust. He was never on my team and we got all the 'decent' jobs. We got all the praise and honors. I don't think he ever got a single God damn thing."

Danny set the coffee on the table and handed Winter his tea. "So the git hates you, big deal right?"

I laughed, "Oh it gets better. Ever heard of Black Hawk Securities?"

Danny looked blank, but Winter nodded. "Bunch of amateur fuckwits trying to run with the big boys. That about right?"

"Yeah, that's about right," I said with a grin. It was good to know that it wasn't just me that had that opinion of them. "Well, that's Clayton's company. His big bro is a silent partner. They're based out of Miami and are a pain in the ass."

Mac laughed. "Man, that's an understatement. They're like a bad smell. Every job we go for they're there, trying to steal it from us. Don't get 'em right far, mind. We've got a good rep down there and they get all the shite we don't want. They're sneaky fuckers though, turns out a guy we had working for us last summer was actually one of theirs. He lasted two weeks before Silvio picked something up in his resume and Bailey blew the whole thing wide open with some creative technical jiggery pokery, or whatever is it she does in that bunker of hers."

Winter rolled his eyes. "Man, that's low. But I still don't get it. Why has Richmond gone to the trouble of setting up a fake Op just to take you out?"

"Good question and something I would like to know the answer to myself." I responded.

Winter looked shocked. "You mean you don't know what's going on?"

"No, but I'll find out in time."

"We need a plan, Ric." Tank said with a sigh.

I gave him an evil smile and placed a sat. phone on the table. "We have a plan."

Every set of eyes around the table was fixed on me in anticipation. It seemed like the whole room was collectively holding its breath.

"We play dead."

"Explain," Tank muttered. "I hate it when you pull your mysterious bullshit."

I laughed, trust Tank to tell it like it is. "We need to draw them out. How better to go about it than to pretend that we're dead. Either Winter or I can make contact pretending to be Konstantin, seeing as we have his phone," I said gesturing to the cell on the table. "I doubt that Richmond is bright enough to tell the difference anyway. Then we wait and see what happens."

"What the fuck are we supposed to do in the mean time?" Lester bitched.

"We go back to the States and lay low. I know I can trust C.J and Toni in Miami; we can use them to spy on Clayton. I've got an insider I can use to keep tabs on Richmond and I'll think of someone to keep an eye on Junior and the Trenton office. We can just sit there, get everyone patched up and see how this cluster fuck plays out. We've already blown the farm house up, and by tonight there will be no trace of the bodies or any of the vehicles."

"I like the way you think," Winter said with an evil smile that was not dissimilar to my own.

I grinned. "Thanks, man. We got any audio of Konstantin? One of us should try to nail his accent just to make sure."

"Sure," Bones said. "There's a bit from the bar. I can clean it up a bit and it should be useful."

"Ric?"

I looked over at Bobby. "Yeah, man?"

"Where are we gonna go?"

"The safest place on earth."

"Oh man, no way." Bones groaned. "Have a heart, Ric."

"Where we going?" Danny asked.

"The middle of fucking nowhere," I replied.

"Why Ric? Please don't do this to me," Bones whined.

"Suck it up, man. Where else can we land and hide the plane and stay out of sight? Your uncle would go to the ends of the earth to protect us. Plus he's a gun crazy lunatic with a load of gun crazy friends."

Winter and Danny still looked blank.

"We're off to Hermitage, Missouri."

"Right, fine, whatever. Let's get this show on the road," Winter said with a smile.

"Okay gentlemen. We need to pack everything into the trucks. Load a couple up with gear and then go do a drop at the plane. We need to be able to do one run tonight and then take off. It's a long flight and Snake still needs to see a doctor. Mac, you okay to fly?"

"Sure thing, Rangeman. You mind if I go crash for a bit?"

"No, the last thing I need is a shattered pilot. Go get some sleep, man."

Mac nodded and left the room, still limping because of his leg wound.

"How's his leg?" I asked Bobby.

"Least of my worries to be honest. Snake's the one that needs a hospital and Winter could use some surgery on that leg if he doesn't want a huge scar."

Winter laughed. "Bobby, wounds heal and chicks dig scars. I'll be fine."

Konstantin's cell phone suddenly started to ring. Fuck. I looked at Winter, "who's got the better accent, me or you?"

"Me," he said as he picked the phone up and flipped it open. "_Da__?"_

_"They're dead….. __yes__, every one of them…… I want my money, asshole….__no,__ fine…..I'll be in touch."_

"Well?" I demanded, as Winter shut the phone and grinned.

"Fucking idiot," Winter laughed, "Gentlemen, we are now dead. Let the games begin."

"You're enjoying this aren't you," I teased.

"I'd always heard you were a total prick and I could never understand why Lee worked for you when I'd offered her a job over here, but hell man, you're a decent guy and you seem to have more fun than I do," Winter said with a laugh.

I guess that was a compliment.

* * *

9PM found us loading the final bits of gear onto the plane. Mac had re-fueled already and we just needed to secure the doors for takeoff. We planned to dump the three Land Rovers and their contents out the back cargo doors half way across the Atlantic. Those fucking things would sink in an instant, along with their contents; twelve dead Russians, a load of guns and all the clothing we had worn. We'd scoured the basement to remove any trace of Marko. Winter had even gone over the room with a black light to check for blood splatters, but it was clean. Seems that between us we had a lot of experience in clearing up little problems.

We needed to put down on the East coast to refuel, and we had about a 12-hour flight ahead of us. Luckily I knew someone at a small airstrip in the middle of nowhere and our presence would go unnoticed. Mac had happily informed me that we were now flying as the Russian State Circus. Asshole.

Snake needed a doctor ASAP. He was now running a temperature because hehad picked up an infection. Bobby didn't have the antibiotics to treat him. Guess that's another item to get added to Bobby's mile long list of things needed in an emergency.

Lee was still knocked out. Bobby wouldn't even argue with me when I asked him if it was necessary. He'd just told me to fuck off. We'd loaded both her and Snake onto stretchers and left them in the cargo hold. Bobby was keeping an eye on them both and Lester was glued to Bailey's side.

Winter had offered to co-pilot. He'd seemed as taken with this piece of shit as Mac was. They were going to take two-hour shifts at the controls, so that they could rest and recuperate. Hell, you know it's a bad day when both your pilot and co-pilot are injured.

"Ric!"

I jerked awake and looked at Tank who was shaking me awake.

"Half way point, man. We need to take out the trash."

I stretched and stood up. Tank and Danny followed me out into the cargo hold.

We'd driven the Land Rovers on, so all we had to do was release the hand brakes and push. They would just roll right out the back and into the ocean. End of problem.

It was hard work, but the three of us managed to dump the three trucks out the back and into the sea. Winter had dropped us down to 2,000 feet and there was no shipping about. I watched in satisfaction as the vehicles sank under the waves, never to be seen again.

There was a reason why I didn't want to get involved with Steph and that was it. How the hell would she understand what I had just done? Shit! She was going to think that I was dead too. What the hell was I going to do? What a fucking mess.

I went over to Bobby. "How they doing?"

Bobby shrugged. "Okay. I'll be happier when I get Snake to a hospital."

"He any worse?"

"No, the same. It's not life threatening just yet."

"And Lee?"

Bobby shrugged again. "What? You expecting a miracle?"

"Damn it Bobby! You know what I mean," I spat. "You think I don't feel like fucking shit as it is? I know I let her down, but dammit I didn't want her in there in the first place."

"She'd follow you into hell, man. Shit, you know we all would. I know you don't want her drugged up to the eyeballs, but believe me, I'd much rather have her settled somewhere for a few days when I bring her round. She'll be fine at Rob's place and Vicky can look after her. I just don't know how well she's gonna react to being surrounded by nine men right this second. The last thing I want to do is make her worse. And besides, her body has a lot of healing to do. There is no way I want to have to replace any of those damn stitches I put in."

"You think they'll scar?"

"More than likely. She's gonna need to visit her tattoo artist when she gets a spare week in order to fix that mess. Least they left her face alone."

I looked at her and took in the bruises that marred her face and looked back at Bobby.

"You know what I mean, Ric. Emotionally she's a mess, but physically it could have been a lot worse."

Lee whimpered in her sleep and Bobby turned round in a flash, smoothing her hair out of her face and checking her I.V. Lester had a death grip on her hand and I knew no matter what that there would be someone to watch out for her. Bobby had a new little sister and Lester had someone to care about and give him something to live for.

I looked at the three of them and realized that they all had a lot of healing to do. With any luck they could heal each other. Lester would be sane again and Bobby could stop hiding behind those fucking pills he took.

And where did that leave me? Alone again, standing on the outside looking in. I knew that people cared about me, but part of me wanted someone to catch me when I fell because they loved me, not because they worked for me or felt obliged. Shit, I was such a fuck up.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks to Trish for editing and Em for suggestions. Sorry for the delay with this chapter.

* * *

Mac was tired, and Winter looked like shit by the time we drew close to Rob's place. We were landing in daylight, but no one would care round here. There was no landing strip, so we had to put down in a field. If we could find one without cattle in it that is.

We must have been about five miles out according to Bones, when everything went to shit. There was a stream of swear words from the cockpit, and the plane started to shake violently. Great, just fucking great. After all this I'm about to die in a plane crash.

I steadied myself on a crate and lurched to the flight deck door way.

"Problems gentlemen?" I asked.

"Fucking engine number three again," Mac spat. "It's shutting down, hence the shaking. We're struggling to compensate."

"You can land with three engines?" I queried, as visions of burning fuselage filled my head.

"I can land with no engines Ric, but I'd rather land with four. I'll try to make the distance, but I'll put down if I have to. We're not far off now."

Winter looked round at me. "You might want to sit down, man."

"Yeah, and assume the crash position," Mac bitched as the plane dipped alarmingly. "We're losing fuel pressure and one's not looking so good either!" he exclaimed. Was that sweat on his brow?

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath.

Tank staggered into the cockpit. "It's like Burma all over again," he said with a wistful smile.

Like it helped that he reminded me of that cluster fuck. The visions of twisted metal appeared again and I sat down heavily in my seat. Not that sitting down would mean I was more likely to survive, but at least this way I didn't have to see how close the ground was if I didn't want to.

Mac swore again. "Ever crash landed one of these baby's?" he asked Winter.

"No, but I guess there's a first time for everything," he replied through gritted teeth.

Both men were struggling to hold the plane in the air. And I was struggling to hold onto my lunch. Shoot at me and I'm fine, but flying… It's not that I have a problem with it, more that it's not a way I ever want to die. Ever.

"How far are we out?" I asked Bones. I didn't know how much more of this I could take and right now all I wanted to do was to plant my feet firmly on solid ground.

He peered out of the window. "Just over the next hill is the start of the farm. I reckon the old barn is about two miles out from here."

"Good," Winter said. "Your family know that were about to land in their garden?"

"No," Bones said with a shake of his head.

"Shit, we should have called ahead, Ric. Rob's gonna come at us with a rocket launcher or something," Tank grumbled.

I did not want to risk broadcasting our destination to any unfriendlies out there. That was why, since we flew over the last airstrip we had dropped below radar level to make it look like we had landed there. Caution was my watchword now, or was it paranoia? Hell, how the fuck could I be paranoid when they really were out to get me?

"Shut it Tank," I replied. "You know as well as I do how important it is for us to stay offline right now."

He rubbed his hand over his bald head and shot me a dark look. "When we land you and I are going to have a chat, Ricardo."

I started to respond, and pull rank on him when the Hercules tilted alarmingly.

"Three down, one to go!" Mac yelled as he struggled to keep control of this flying dumpster. I presume he was talking about engines. The tension in the cockpit was heavy and thick. You could almost cut it with a knife. Mac was a good pilot and there was nothing I could do other than trust in his abilities to set this thing down in one piece.

"Half a mile!" Bones shouted as he shot out of his seat and pointed to an area of grass just to the west of us."

The plane groaned with the strain of flying with only one engine and the guys somehow managed to swing it round in the direction Bones had pointed in. I bit the bullet and peered out of the window. We must have been 200 feet up if that now. Well, at least it wasn't that far to the ground if we dropped out of the sky.

Mac and Winter exchanged dark looks. "Pull it now!" Mac commanded and Winter yanked hard on the fuel release mechanism, dumping the remaining aviation fuel we had onto some poor bastard's field. Well, if it was Rob's I'm sure he'd understand. We cleared the last fence by 50 feet and the ground shot up to meet us.

"Brace!" Winter demanded and we instantly assumed the crash position, as the heap of useless metal hit the ground with a thud and bounced alarmingly across the field. Mud flew up in the air and splattered the windows. Finally we slid to a halt. I counted to five, slowly, and when nothing exploded I let out a sigh of relief.

"Go," I told Bones. "I don't need us getting shot at. Everyone okay?"

The guys grumbled their assurances and I stood up on shaky legs to check on the rest of the team.

The cargo bay was a wreck, cases had slid across the hold and split open, scattering their contents and taking out the four bikes in the process. Bobby was being sick in a corner, Danny was crouched over Snake to shield him from the debris and to stop his I.V lines from ripping from his arm. Lester had practically dragged Lee onto his lap and was holding on to her so tightly that his knuckles had gone white.

Danny looked over at me and stood up gingerly. "Can you believe I gave up a week in the Bahamas for this?" he muttered.

Bobby finished being sick and pulled himself upright using the remnants of a crate. He looked like hell. "Next time I'm staying at home," he bitched.

"What? And miss out on all the fun?" Lester said, flashing his lopsided grin.

Lester's eyes told a different story to his smile. No matter how much he tried to hide it, he'd been just as scared as the rest of us. Lee was limp in his arms, blissfully out cold through the entire fuck up. Snake, unfortunately was conscious and shivering; he needed medical attention ASAP.

"Let's get everyone off this piece of shit," I said. I was really looking forward to stepping onto solid ground.

Mac and Winter, our walking wounded limped down the side steps and out onto the cut up field. Tank came next, followed by Bobby and Danny carrying Snake out on a stretcher and Lester still had Bailey cradled in his arms.

I surveyed the view from the top of the plane steps, using my hand to shield the early afternoon sun from my gaze. The farm hadn't changed that much since we were last here a couple of years ago, and for the first time in nearly a week it felt good to be somewhere I didn't need to watch my back. I just wished we could be here in better circumstances. We needed a medical facility ASAP, and I needed to start some covert ops on the enemy if any of us wanted to go home in the next week.

As I reached the foot of the steps I saw Vicky standing on the porch steps, wiping her hands on her apron. She seemed to be taking the whole dumping a very large plane in her front paddock thing pretty well so far. She slipped her house shoes off, jammed her feet into her work boots and marched across the field towards us.

As she reached the fence she looked us over and rolled her eyes. "You boy's been playing soldiers again?" she demanded.

I coughed. "Yes, ma'm." Why did she always make me feel like I was a twelve-year-old kid? She was worse than my mother; then again, my mother didn't give a damn so it was nice that Vicky cared.

She looked at Snake and then at Bailey and her eyes went wide. "What on earth have you boys been doing? And why in God's name are you dragging girls into your operations?"

Bobby stepped forward. "Ma'am, we really need to get to the hospital."

"Fine. Take the truck, you know where you are going, right enough. The keys are in it." The woman was un-phazed, like it was an everyday occurrence for a renegade black ops unit to crash land at her farm. Then again, she'd known us for a long, long time and knew to expect the unexpected when we rolled into town.

I looked over at the beat up pick up. Shit. It would have to do. It was 25 miles to the local medical centre and I didn't want to have to make more than one trip. I looked at Bobby. "Get Snake loaded up, Lee too. Mac, Winter, I'd feel better if we got you two checked out as well."

The guys went to get things sorted and I looked at Vicky again. "I'm sorry about this. We had nowhere else to go and some of my team need to get to the hospital. I'll leave Tank here. We need to stash the plane in the barn so when Bones… I mean Luke comes back they can sort out the logistics for that. Where is Luke by the way?"

"He's gone to get his uncle. Rob's down in the bottom field fixing the fences, so Luke took the quad bike. They should be back anytime now. What the hell is going on, Ricardo?"

I sighed and scrubbed my hands over my face. "Someone wanted me dead. We took out the immediate problem and now they think we are all dead. We need to lay low until we can find out what is going on and then we can pull a plan together."

Vicky looked a little pale. "Bad business?"

"Very."

"And your injured men?"

"They'll live."

She seemed happy with that response. "You know you are welcome here. I'll go and start fixing some dinner. I have no doubt that you boys will be hungry when you get back. I also assume that you won't be leaving any of them at the hospital."

"Correct."

"I'll sort out the guest rooms. How many are going to need bed rest?"

"Just Snake and Lee." I thought about telling her more, but changed my mind at the last minute. I'd fill her in on the full details later. I couldn't bring myself to do that right now. Thinking about what had happened to Lee still made me feel sick.

* * *

We swept into the small emergency department en-masse and were greeted by a familiar looking face. It seemed like nothing really changed around here. 

"Oh my God! Bobby, is that you?" the charge nurse squealed.

Trixie St.John was still blonde, bubbly and perky. She was Bones' eldest cousin's, best mate's sister, and had been trying to get into my pants for as long as I could remember. She really wasn't my type; she was more up Lester's alley than mine.

I smiled at her and nodded briefly. Charming the nursing staff was not a high priority for me right now.

"Lester!" she cooed as he stepped through the doors. He gave her a curt nod and strode past her to the main desk. Playboy Lester was not in appearance today. The only woman he was concerned about was still unconscious in his arms. He hadn't let go of Lee since the plane lost its first engine.

Doc White bustled out of the back room and stopped when he saw us. He cocked his head to one side. "Problems?" he asked.

Ranger pushed past me and took over. "George," he said whilst shaking the doctors outstretched hand.

George White was ex military and how he'd ended up stuck in this backwater treating gravel rash and in-growing toenails always baffled me. His salt and pepper hair was still cut short and the man seemed as cool, calm and collected as ever.

"I take it you boys are a figment of my imagination," he said with a wry smile.

Ranger's smile matched his. "I'd appreciate that George. Can you take a look at my team? We'll need a gurney for Snake, he's still in the back of the pickup."

George coughed. "I'm sure I can lose the paperwork for this lot, and a nice anonymous donation towards our running costs would help once you've got your problems straightened out. Trixie, go get a gurney, I can't have injured men cluttering up the parking lot."

Trixie dashed off and Ranger nodded at me as he went to help with Snake. Looks like I'm back in charge again. Ranger always deferred anything medical to me. Ric was a very clever man, but his medical knowledge was limited. What made him clever was knowing when to delegate his responsibilities. Like now for instance.

"What we got, Bobby?" George asked.

"Snake took a rifle round to the shoulder. It's gone straight through, but it still needs cleaning up as he's now got a serious infection and nothing I've got can shift it. Plus an x-ray wouldn't hurt. Winter has a deep laceration to his thigh from a bullet, but there's not much left to stitch. Mac has a laceration to his thigh from a knife. I steri-stripped that, but it's pulled open a couple of times because of the placement of the wound. Bailey's got multiple lacerations to the chest and thighs. I've stitched them all up, but a couple don't look so healthy. She has a suspected fractured cheek bone, needs a load of blood work doing and also needs checking for internal injuries."

George nodded. "Okay, I'll treat the worst two first. You want to bring them through?"

"Come on Les," I said as I followed George. I looked back over my shoulder at Winter. "Get Ric to bring Snake through, will you?"

"Sure," he replied.

The treatment room was small and clean. George ran a tight ship here. He was a decent guy and if he said that our presence would go un-noticed, I believed him.

"Just put her down on that bed," he said to Lester.

Les looked down at Bailey and then at George and tightened his grip on her. Fucking hell, not here, not now. This was not the time for a melt down.

"Lester," I said. "We need to get her checked over and you holding on to her is gonna make that difficult. Just put her down, bro. We won't hurt her."

"I…. she….no," he mumbled.

I opened my mouth to try and talk some sense into him when Trixie, Danny and Ranger wheeled Snake into the room on a gurney.

"Thanks guys. Why don't you all wait outside while Bobby and I deal with this," George said. His comment was aimed at Lester more than anyone else.

Trixie fussed over Snake's I.V, Danny slipped out of the room and Ric and I tried to work out how to deal with Les. Ric looked at Lester and met my eyes, he knew we had a problem. One wrong move or word and Lester was gonna lose it. He was more hung up over Bailey than I'd thought.

Ric stayed on the other side of the room, trying not to crowd Lester. "Hey Cuz, lets go get some air," he said with slightly forced cheer.

"But…" Lester whispered.

"I'll be right here, bro. I won't let anything happen to her. You trust me." I stated.

He nodded and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

I held out my arms and slowly he passed Lee over to me. I shifted her slightly and Lester let out a hiss. "Watch it!" he growled.

"She's okay, man. I promise."

Ric stepped in swiftly and steered Lester out of the room. As soon as the doors swung shut behind them I set Bailey down.

George sighed. "I see that boy's still fucked up. This his woman?"

"He's the same and she's…" I shrugged.

"A close friend?" he suggested.

"Yeah, that'll do."

"So, what the hell happened to you guys?"

"Remember Phoenix?" I asked.

George swallowed audibly and nodded.

"Payback," I said.

"What happened to the girl?"

I took a deep breath. "Drugged, raped and cut up."

"I take it that things went FUBAR," he responded. I liked George, he was blunt and to the point.

"In a big way. We've been sold out by one of our own guys, Pete's little brother in fact. They set Ric up to go down and when we figured that out and put a new plan in place, they were already expecting us and knew exactly who we all were. Bailey was supposed to go in as a honey trap to get Intel because we didn't think they would know who she was. But…."

"They did," he finished for me."

"Yeah," I said with a sigh. I really needed a coffee to deal with all this. It was gonna take a lot to hold Lester together and God knows how things were gonna pan out once I brought Bailey round. I was scared, shit scared about the whole situation, as I didn't want Les to fall apart again. Bailey would need him and I couldn't have him freaking her out.

"Trixie, can you help me over here please?" George asked.

She finished up with what she was doing and came over to assist. They slowly pulled Lee's long sleeve t-shirt off and poor Trixie went white under her fake tan as she saw the mess the Russians had made of Lee.

"You want a rape kit doing?"

"No point."

"You took care of that then?"

"Yes." He knew I understood the double meaning to his question. He shot me a quick glance and nodded.

I continued, "If you could run bloods to check for anything nasty then that would be good, plus check for any internal damage. I don't think there is, but it's not something I know a lot about."

"Sure. Do you want to stay?"

"Yeah, I better. If I don't, then Les will be back in here getting in the way," I responded.

* * *

It was early evening when we made it back to the farm. Snake was doing well on the drugs Doc White had given him. It looked like we had caught the infection in time. Bailey was as good as she was going to get, and Bobby wanted to bring her round once he'd got her settled. Mac and Winter had matching limps. In other circumstances it would have been funny. 

Tank was standing on the porch talking to Rob. I left Bobby to handle the wounded and went to catch up with Rob.

"Rob," I said, offering him my hand.

His grip was strong and firm and his expression troubled. "Sounds like you've had a rough time these last few days, boy."

I nodded. "Yes Sir, you could say that. I'm sorry about the plane."

Rob waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. It's in the barn out of sight. Took the tractor and combine harvester to shift the great lump, but we got it cleared up." He looked at Tank and then back to me. "I'll leave you boys to catch up, dinner won't be long."

I raised an eyebrow at Tank and he glared. I stared at him and finally he broke. "I need to call Lula," he growled.

"No."

"Ric, man… She's gonna freak if she thinks I'm dead. I need to let her know that I'm okay."

"No."

"For the love of God, Ric!" he hissed, "I have to get a message to her."

"For the third time Tank, no. We have no idea what the situation is in Trenton, and she doesn't have a secure phone. That one phone call could kill us all."

"What about Steph?"

I shrugged. "What about Steph?"

"You're not gonna contact her?"

"No."

"Damn it, she cares about you. How the hell do you think she's gonna react when someone tells her that you're dead," Tank spat.

"And how fucking obvious will it look if she doesn't react naturally to being told I'm dead if she knows that I'm alive? You're not thinking straight, Tank. It is vital right now that we stay off the grid and out of sight. When the news of our 'death' gets out, it is imperative that it is believed, for all of our sakes. Not just the team here, but also those back in Trenton too. Just think what they would do to Lula or Steph if they thought that they were hiding something."

Tank sighed. "I just wish…. It's gonna break her heart."

"And you can fix it again when we get this cluster fuck cleared up. I'm sure Lula would much rather have you back in a week or so, than permanently dead."

He looked me in the eyes. "I just wish I was a cold hearted bastard like you." He handed me a half empty bottle of cold Bud. "Here, drink this, it might help thaw out your soul."

He stomped inside and I sat down on the porch swing, left alone with my thoughts and the sound of the night closing in around me. What Tank didn't know was that I wanted to call Steph. I'd not called her today, so she'd know that something was wrong by now anyway.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she was down the office first thing tomorrow, demanding Intel from Junior. How would she take the news of my death? I knew that she cared, but if she thought I was dead… Fuck. Maybe I could get a message to Morelli through one of his Mob contacts. I doubted that those contacts were being monitored… Damn it, Manoso! Don't be so fucking stupid. Her reaction had to be believable or she'd end up dead herself. I couldn't allow her to get hurt just to spare her a little grief now. Hell, my sisters would be a wreck when they got the news, and so would my grandma. I guess it was the lesser of two evils in the long run, but I was still going to cause so much pain to those who cared about me and that was unforgivable.

I'd call Miami after dinner and get some surveillance set up, plus I'd try and reach my insider in the government. Trenton was proving a little more difficult. The men I trusted the most were stuck here with me. I'd trusted Junior and look where that had gotten me. I needed someone I'd known a long time…. Shit, when I thought about it, it was obvious and the last person anyone would think of. Ella.

That amazing woman had been running that building single-handed for years, and no one would think that I would use my housekeeper for Intel. She came and went wherever she pleased in the building, and wouldn't arouse suspicion. I could have done with some bugs planting, but I was betting that Lee could remote access the camera's to follow up on anything interesting Ella could find out. I needed my desk phone records as well, just in case Junior has been stupid enough to use my phone, plus his email account and cell phone data would be helpful too. I hoped that giving Lee something to do would keep her mind off other things.

So I had a plan and we were as safe as we were going to get until this mess was cleared up. I drained the Bud and as I stood up I felt movement behind me. I turned round and saw Vicky standing in the doorway.

"Dinner's ready," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, I'll be in in a second."

"Stop brooding in the dark, Ricardo and come and get something to eat. What's done is done and you can't change that, no matter how hard you try."

I sighed. Was I brooding? Yeah, I guess I was. I had let people down again, people who trusted me. People I cared about were hurt and more were about to get hurt too.

"Stop it!" Vicky said, smacking me on the arm. "You're alive and so is your team. Pierre filled me in on what was going on while you were at the clinic and you should be proud of yourself. You got the job done and so did your men. You can't tell me that they didn't know the risks involved in that mission from the start.

If I were you I would be thanking my lucky stars that I'd made it this far and that I knew what was going on. You will get this sorted and you will settle any debts you think are owing. Have some faith in yourself, Ricardo. Your men have faith in you, they believe in you. Don't you think it's about time you started believing in yourself?"

She turned away and went back inside. I looked up at the clear night sky and smiled as I saw a passing comet streak across the heavens. I would finish this, for my men and for myself, and I promised myself that I would never let my team down or hurt those I cared about ever again.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thanks as always to Trish for editing and hugs to Em for listening to me whine and bitch over the plot. Lastly, huge thanks to Kevan for all the advice, and for letting Jer and Kelly out to play.

* * *

Vicky's cooking was wonderful as always, but I just wished that we had been better company. Those of us who had made it to the table for dinner were quiet and withdrawn. Tank still wasn't speaking to me and a frosty atmosphere had hung over us all.

Bobby had opted for a sandwich to go, and had eaten whilst working. He was still settling Snake and Lee. Snake was on so many drugs he didn't know who, what or where he was. Bobby was pumping him full of fluids and antibiotics, and so far he was responding well. The gunshot wound itself was clean, and would cause no lasting damage. The worst thing that could happen was that he might need a bit of PT as there was a bit of muscle damage, but Doc. White reckoned he would make a full recovery.

Bailey had needed some blood work done, but other than that, there hadn't been much for George to do. As usual, Bobby had been experienced enough to deal with the bulk of her injuries. He'd stopped her sedatives about an hour ago, and was now giving her antibiotics. He was watching her closely as he thought she'd come around anytime now.

Lester was pacing back and forth in the small space between the bed and the closet. He was driving me nuts, but Bobby seemed to have tuned him out. I look at Lester again. His long hair was tied in a sloppy ponytail, he'd not shaved for a couple of days and he needed a shower, badly.

He caught me watching him. "What?" he growled.

I shrugged. "Nothing man."

"Haven't you got more important things to be doing right now?" he snapped.

"It can wait."

"We'll call if we need you Ranger," he spat.

What the hell was his problem?

Bobby reached out and caught hold of Lester's arm. "Hey bro, why don't you sit down?"

I guess Lester was pissing Bobby off after all. He was hiding it well.

Lester shook him off. "I'm fine," he growled.

Bailey chose that moment to move in her sleep and both men froze, watching her every move. Her sleep-crusted eyes flickered open and she blinked slowly.

"How'd you feel, honey?" Bobby asked.

She looked round the room, closed her eyes again and groaned.

"We're at Bones' uncle's place, near Hermitage, Missouri," I told her, hoping that the information would put her at ease.

She managed to open her eyes again and looked at me for a few beats, before seeming to drift again.

I kept talking "We got rid of the little problem we had in Scotland, well actually it was Danny."

"You're safe now," Lester whispered as he sat down on the bed next to her.

Her eyes flew open as the bed dipped under his weight. If she was slightly more with it, I suspected that she would have pulled a gun on him, judging by the look of fear in her eyes.

"Give her some room, man," Bobby said quietly as he pulled Lester off the bed by his arm.

Bailey closed her eyes again and after a minute or so, her breathing even out, indicating that she was asleep.

Lester sank down in a chair and scrubbed his hands over his face. "She's worse than I was," he muttered.

Bobby dropped down next to him and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Yeah, but we don't let her stay that way. We'll make sure we're there for her and in time she'll be okay. I promise bro."

He smoothed the loose hair out of Lester's face and hugged him. Lester sighed and rested his head on Bobby's shoulder. "What a total cluster fuck," he murmured.

Lester had been right, I did need to make some calls and get this plan underway. My first priority was to call the boys in Miami and get them to start gathering Intel on Clayton. I snagged a beer from the kitchen and headed out onto the back porch again. Normally I would not drink on duty, but right now I just didn't care. My thoughts were already a fucking mess and more alcohol couldn't make them any worse.

Sitting down on the porch swing again, I pulled my secure phone from my pocket and scrolled through my contacts looking for C.J's secure line. It was a damn good thing that nothing had happened to my phone. I was hoping that it contained all the contacts we needed to sort this shit out and get back to Trenton unharmed.

I selected the number and the static noise from the phone told me it was making a connection via a number of satellites. It was a good thing that this call was untraceable, sometimes it paid off to have all the best toys.

Finally the connection started to ring at the other end and C.J picked up.

"Yeah?" he drawled.

"Do not say my name. Do you understand?" I demanded. Just because this line was secure didn't mean that he was in a secure environment.

"Yes."

"Good. I'm going to ask you some questions and I want yes or no answers only. Is Toni about?"

"Yes..." Poor C.J was sounding confused. He'd have to wait until I was sure that it was okay to give him the information.

"Is anyone else there?"

"Yes."

"Are you in the office?"

"Yes."

"Right, here's what you are going to do, go get Toni and go up to the roof. I will call you back in five minutes. Do not mention this call to anyone but Toni and don't tell him who is calling until you are upstairs. Got that?"

"Yes."

I hung up.

I spent the five minute wait lost in my own thoughts and finally redialled C.J. He picked up on the first ring.

"Boss, is everything okay?"

"No." I replied tersely.

"Shit," he muttered. "Can we help at all?"

"Yeah, I need you to get an insider into Blackhawk Security and put a tail on Clayton Nevis. The slimy shit is trying to kill me and I'm not too happy about it." I growled.

"Oh fuck!" C.J exclaimed. I could hear Toni yelling and cursing in the background.

"Whatever you do, it must stay high clearance only. Junior in Trenton has already sold us all down the river, and I have no idea who to trust any more. I'm gonna get Bailey to send you some information over in the next few hours and I need you to start working on this right away. Any questions?"

"Shit, Junior? Hell man, where do I fucking start? I take it this is to do with that job you had going on?" he said, sounding shocked.

Junior's treachery had shocked us all, but there was nothing I could do about it right now. "Yeah, it was a set up. Richmond Nevis seems to be pulling the strings on this. He got Junior to feed him Intel on our operations. At the moment I have no idea which side most people are on, so you need to handle this carefully."

"You trust me and Toni?" C.J asked in awe.

"C.J, cousin... I've known you all your God damn life, Christ, I've know Toni since I was six, of course I trust you both. Can you help me out? I don't want to take my team to Miami; Richmond thinks we are all dead at the moment. If the rumors of our deaths start to circulate, just fan the flames a little. We need to play dead to stay alive right now."

"Right, I think. Man, I'm so damn confused. I can put a tail on Clayton, that's easy. We're always keeping an eye on that creepy bastard, but getting someone on the inside is gonna prove difficult, Ric. Almost impossible I'd say; he knows most of our men. If I had the time I could maybe get a plant in, but at short notice..."

"C.J, I'm sure you'll think of something, you always do." I said confidently. And I was right, he usually did.

"I won't let you down, cuz. I promise you me and Toni will find out what the hell is going on," he said reassuringly.

"Good, give me an hour to sort things out, and I'll get Lee to send you that data. You're gonna need the laptop from your safe; it's the encrypted one Lee sent down last year. Use only that one to keep in touch and don't leave a paper trail. If you're not using the machine, put it back in your safe, got that?"

"Yeah man, I got that. We'll go through the details and see what we can come up with. I'll email you when we have a plan. Stay safe Ric, okay?"

"We'll try cuz. Later."

Okay, one down, two to go. I'd call Ella next and then get Lee to email my contact in the government.

Ella was, as usual, nothing but helpful, and promised me to do all she could to help out. She had agreed that no one would suspect her movements around the building and said she would probably find out more than any of my men could. She didn't have access to a secure computer, so we agreed to keep in touch by phone. Most importantly, she promised to keep an eye on Steph. With Steph taken care of I felt a little better about the upcoming situation.

I was still sitting out there hours later, when the screen door opened. Bailey was standing in the doorway looking lost. She seemed small, fragile almost, and pale under her bruising. She wrapped her arms tight about herself and huddled into her black hooded top. She walked gingerly out to stand at the top of the porch steps and gazed off into the dark.

"Baby, you okay?" I asked as I reached out to touch her on the arm.

She jerked back from my touch. "Don't. Don't touch me," she hissed.

"Okay." I put my hands up in a gesture of surrender and took a step backwards to put some distance between us. Shit. Think... What would Bobby do? Change the subject.

"So," I said, pretending that her outburst hadn't happened. "I need some Intel gathering and some encrypted emails sent. Could you do that for me when you get a second?"

She turned to look at me in the sparse light and shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

Her usual spark was gone and the fire in her eyes had vanished. I almost wished that Konstantin and Marko were still alive, just so I could kill them both slowly for what they had done to her. I wanted to hold her close and tell her that everything was going to be alright, but because of them I couldn't even do that. Fucking bastards.

"If someone could get my equipment, I'll get started," she said quietly.

"Sure, where do you want it set up?"

She shrugged again, "Anywhere, I don't care." She turned back to the house and disappeared into the kitchen.

I scrubbed my hands over my face, hating myself even more than I did before. This was all my fault and I couldn't fix it this time. There was nothing I could do for her, and it was eating me up inside. Maybe Lester or Bobby could talk to her.

I went back inside and Bailey was nowhere in sight. Danny was sat at the kitchen table with Winter, and they both looked up as I walked in.

"She okay?" Winter asked.

I shook my head. "No, she's a fucking mess."

Winter sighed and Danny swore under his breath.

"That's not good, man," Danny muttered.

"Tell me about it," I bitched. "And the problem is that I have no idea how to help her. Look, could one of you see if her computer gear survived the landing and set it up for her. I want to keep her mind off things and I also need some Intel dredging up."

"Sure Ranger," Danny said. "I think it survived intact. I'll sort it out for her. He slipped out the back door and into the night.

Winter gave me a grim smile. "Give her time, Ric. A lot of time, and maybe a little space. I know she acts tough and she's needed to do that to get this far in life with her sanity intact, but nothing that has gone before can compare to what happened in Scotland. Eventually she'll deal with this and come out the other side fighting, but she's just gonna need some time to come to terms with what's going on inside her head first."

"I know," I murmured. "I just hate seeing her like this,"

"You're not the only one, believe me," Winter responded quietly.

* * *

I'd finished off the stuff Ric wanted doing late last night, once my brain was firing on a few cylinders that is. I knew that it wouldn't be enough to save our backsides. The Miami boys would be able to put a tail on Clayton, but I knew they'd have problems getting someone on the inside. We had to have inside Intel or we were fucked.

Thankfully, the solution managed to throw itself at me in the early hours of the morning. Black Hawk Securities was advertising for staff in the local paper. All I had to do was plant a couple of guys in there and we were set.

There was no use using any of the Rangeman team, no matter what office they worked in. Right at this moment, we had no idea just how much of the company's information was in the hands of the Nevis brothers.

We needed guys who could do the job, guys who we could trust, but most importantly, guys who could not be connected to Ric in any way. Whatever way you looked at it, it was going to be a very short list

I scrolled through my heavily encrypted file full of 'contacts,' just to see if anyone jumped out at me. I wasn't that sure why the file was encrypted, as there were no names in it, just letters or words that made a mental connection to the person they stood for. Plus, all the contact details were in code. Guess I was just cautious out of habit. Shit, it made me feel old and alone, very very alone.

I sighed and scrubbed my hands over my face, wincing as my bruises protested at the contact. Man, I was a fucking mess, both mentally and physically. The sedatives that Bobby had put me on were still working their way out of my system and I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck.

I knew that Bobby had meant well, but I was a little pissed at him right now. I'd been out of it for over 24 hours and I still felt pretty woozy. I needed at least half a dozen brain cells to deal with this shit, and at the moment it felt like I only had three. Everything was taking twice as long to do as it should have done and that made me grumpy.

I had two choices right now, work or sleep. As tired as I was, sleep was not an option. I did not want to relive those dreams I had on the first night, I just knew that as soon as I shut my eyes, my mind would replay what little it could remember of Friday evening.

I faded in and out a lot during the whole thing, but I could still remember their voices, their touch upon my body and their scents. I could remember what they did to me and I did not want to relive it. Not now, not ever.

I turned my attention back to the computer screen and the list of people who could possibly help get us out of this fucked up situation. Bingo! Jer and Kelly AKA Darkness and Jaguar: Ex Rangers, legally black and morally blacker. Great guys, and always up for a bit of fun.

I slid my cell from my pocket and dialled their number from memory. Shit! What time was it in St Martin? Oh well, too late now.

The line rang a few times and was finally picked up. I was met with silence. Well, nothing new there then.

"It's Shade," I stated.

"Hey girl."

I could tell by the voice that I was speaking to Jer.

"You between jobs at the moment?" I quizzed.

"Yeah, why? You got something fun going on in your neck of the woods?"

"Something like that," I muttered.

"Okay, what you got for us?"

"Recon and possible clean up job," I responded.

"Who's the client?" he asked.

"Me."

"Who you working for, Shade?" Jer demanded.

I sighed. Would they work for Ric? I was pretty sure their moral codes would not quite mesh. Jer and Kelly walked firmly on the dark side of the law, never giving a shit about ethics. Well, I guess I had nothing to lose here. "The Cuban," I responded finally.

"Shit, girl... I don't like the sound of this," Jer muttered.

Damn, they were the only two guys on my list who could help and I didn't want to resort to begging.

After a moments silence I caved. "Please Jer, as a favor for me. I'll owe you one."

"You owe me one already Shade, or had you forgotten?" Jer stated.

Oh man, fucking Mexico again. I'd forgotten about that mess. "So I'll owe you two, it's no big deal Jer, I always pay my debts, you know that."

"If it was anyone else... hell honey. Look, you do know who the Cuban is don't you?"

"Intimately," I growled.

"Shit, so the rumours are true then..." Jer whispered.

"What rumours?" I demanded.

"That you were in his bed and on his payroll."

Shit! "Where'd you hear that?" I demanded. I thought no one knew where the hell I was...

"Winter."

"The gossiping little shit," I hissed. "What's he been saying?"

"Nothin' much, girl. Just where you've been at for the last few years. You dropped off the face of the earth, we missed you. Thought you were dead until Winter called."

"I missed you guys too, but I had government issues to deal with," I muttered.

"Yeah, I heard. Word on the street was that they sent the Cuban after your ass. How long did you out run him for?"

"Nine weeks, give or take."

Jer let out a long, low whistle. "Nice going girl, guess we trained you well. I bet that's a record, most guys make a month, if they're lucky."

"I'm not most guys," I relied coolly.

"No, I guess you aren't, honey," Jer said with a laugh. "But you know what girl... I don't trust him. I don't want him busting our asses."

"The government want him dead, Jer. I don't think busting your ass is his top priority right now," I responded.

"Really? Well that is interesting information. Man, it must have cost him a lot of pride to have you make this call, Shade."

"The Cuban is not aware of this conversation, Darkness. And I would like it to stay that way, if you don't mind," I growled.

"If he's not aware of this call, then who is gonna pay the bill? You should know full well what our standard fee is, we don't work for free, not even for you."

"Not even for me?" I asked. Shit, their standard fee was $500,000 each. While I made a decent living, I didn't have that sort of cash in my back pocket. "Look, I can get you $200,000 each and I'll work the rest off, along with what I owe you for that cluster fuck in Mexico. Two jobs, Jer and then we'll be even."

"You work for The Cuban, little girl. I don't know if I want you on any of our jobs," Jer muttered.

"Fuck you Darkness, I'm not damaged goods. I just did what I had to do to save my arse," I growled.

"What, like fuck him? That's your usual MO when caught in a tight spot, Shade. I'm not sure I want The Cuban's piece of ass working for me. I'd spend all my time looking over my shoulder, waiting for the ball to drop. If you work for him, then your moral code must have shifted," he spat.

"My moral code is the same that it has always been, Jer. And while The Cuban's moral code is not the same as ours, he's not the arsehole you make him out to be," I hissed.

"You would say that, Shade. We always defend those we love."

I laughed out loud. "Oh Jer, you know me, since when did I love? I have sex, maybe even care for a few people, but I don't love. We all know that love gets people like us killed."

"Hmmm, maybe you haven't changed that much, girl. Okay, we have a deal. Kelly and I will take the job, $200,000 each and you work two jobs for us. I'll go kick Kelly out of bed and pack. Email the Intel over and call me in a few hours so I can give you any feedback, ask any questions and confirm our ETA. That good for you?"

"Yeah, that's fine Jer. Thank you," I said, and hung up.

I was just finishing up the email when I heard footsteps. Without thinking, I palmed my Glock, shut my laptop and twisted in the seat so I was crouching on it, using the upholstery to shield me from the view of anyone who came through the cockpit doorway.

I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds. Whoever it was had stopped in the doorway. I could hear their breathing and the slight rustle of clothing. I slid the safety off my gun and held my breath. My head was telling me to aim for a knee and my heart was telling me to aim for the chest. Shit.

The footsteps came closer, and then stopped. I felt a drop of sweat run down the side of my face and I ignored it, focusing on the sounds around me.

"I know you're there Lee."

Damn it, it was only Danny. I slid the safety back on my Glock, but stayed hidden.

Danny stepped closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne, that exotic mix of spices and sandalwood he wore.

"You wanna put the gun away?" he said.

Shit! He wasn't Marko. Marko smelled of sweat, smoke and gun powder. Breathe girl, breathe. Everything's gonna be okay. I slipped my gun away and slid off the chair, standing up on shaky legs.

I stepped closer to Danny and stopped. I wanted to bury myself in his arms, I knew he would make everything alright, but at the back of my head, alarm bells were ringing. He might hurt me, my mind screamed.

Danny closed the distance between us and before I could protest, he pulled me close, holding me tight to his warm body.

I breathed in his scent and I felt safe, like I was home. Danny was a good guy, I reminded myself. We cared about each other, he would keep me safe.

He stroked my hair and I held him close. Suddenly the weight of the last few days came crashing down on me, and I sagged in his arms. Warm tears spilled down my face and onto his t-shirt, and my body shook with emotion. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be stronger than this.

I pulled away slightly. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Damn it, baby girl. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm here for you," he said.

I looked up into his face and remembered what Ric had said to me last night. "Thank you," I murmured, "For taking care of things for me..."

Danny pulled me close again. "No one messes with what's mine, Lee. No one. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"I know," I breathed. The heavy feeling in my chest lifted a little as I clung to him, I knew that it was going to take time to heal, but at least I had someone watching out for me. I couldn't watch my back all the time.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks to K for thoughts and comments and Em for brain storming. Also, thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I don't always get around to thanking everyone personally, but I appreciate each and every review.

* * *

We were getting nowhere fast. The Monday morning sun was creeping over the horizon and in the past 36 hours we had learned nothing at all. Trenton was quiet, and news of our 'deaths' had yet to spread, Clayton was doing nothing mysterious and my government contact had turned up zilch.

The shit was about to hit the fan and I had nothing to go on. This was a first for me, and I felt really uncomfortable about it. It was like I was suddenly blind and the rest of my senses had yet to kick in and compensate.

On top of all that, something funny was going on. Lee was making phone calls and whispering in dark corners with Winter and Danny. I knew that girl well enough to know that she was up to something, but whatever it was, she was playing it very close to her chest.

In the past I would have just pushed and intimidated until she caved, but those tactics wouldn't work with her right now. Well, more like they would, but I would be a bastard to use them on her given her current frame of mind.

I carried my empty coffee cup back into the kitchen and thought about other ways to get the information out of her. What was her weakness? How could I get the Intel I was sure she was hiding?

She was sat hunched over the dining room table working on her laptop when I found her. She looked up briefly as I entered and went back to work.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked.

She shrugged and never looked away from the computer screen.

"How are you doing?" I quizzed.

Again, the only response I got was a shrug.

I took a deep breath and counted to ten, gathering my thoughts and tempering my anger.

"Lee, I want to know who you talking to, I know about the phone calls," I stated.

She looked up then and met my gaze. "It's none of your god damn business, Ricardo."

"It is if it concerns me," I growled.

"I'm covering my own arse, nothing more," she replied.

Her body language had changed slightly. It was enough to tell me that she was lying. What was she hiding?

I was about to press the subject when Danny appeared in the door way carrying two cups of coffee.

"Hey girl, wanna take a walk?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied as she shut her laptop with a click. "I need a change of scenery anyway,"

She skirted around the room, avoiding me and slipped out the door with Danny. I waited a few beats and then followed at a distance. They headed out the back door and over to the old barn. Stopping just outside the double doors, Danny pulled what looked like a joint from his pocket and lit it. He inhaled deeply, passed it to Lee and they both disappeared inside the barn.

Danny. Danny was the weak spot. I just needed to find out how to use him as leverage against her. How long had she known him, what was their history?

Winter might spill the beans. All I had to do was corner him and ask. I turned around to go back inside and walked right into Winter.

"Don't push her, Manoso," he growled.

I took a step back and glared. "She's up to something," I spat.

"So?" Winter responded.

"I know it concerns me," I hissed.

"It concerns all of us. Not everything connected with this fuck up is all about you, you know," he snapped.

"I just want to know, Winter. So far we have nothing to go on, nothing to help us out. I don't want to stay here forever."

Winter ran his hands through his spiked black hair and sighed. "We're in contact with a couple of guys who can possibly help out in Miami."

"Who?"

"That's not for me to say, Ric"

"I thought this was my mission, Winter. I want to know what the hell is going on," I demanded.

"If you want to know, ask Lee. It was her call."

"You don't approve?"

"I didn't say that, did I? If you want to know who she called, go ask her. And don't use Danny to get to her, she'll just shoot you."

I looked at Winter. "What makes you think I'd do that?"

"It's written all over your face. Trust me, cross her and she'll shoot you."

"She wouldn't shoot me," I stated.

Winter laughed and shook his head. "Man, you really know nothing about her, do you?"

"I know enough," I stated.

"Right... sure..." Winter said sarcastically.

"Winter," I growled.

"Look, just because she fucked you for a few years don't mean that she spilled her innermost secrets to you. She's not like that."

"I... she..." Damn, just what did I know about her? When I thought about it, nothing.

"Do you know how she ended up in this business, really and truly? And don't give me that crap about her father," Winter muttered.

"You know, I'm not really that sure about anything concerning her right now," I stated.

Winter gave me a grim smile. "If you want to know what's going on, I suggest that you ask her."

"I tried that already," I said with a sigh.

"She think's that you'll get mad and throw a fit when you find out who she called. Look, she wants to help. Hell, she's just sold her soul to these guys to fix this mess, cut her some slack."

"She's done what?" I demanded.

"She's picking up the tab for bringing these two guys on board," Winter stated.

"Who. Is. It?" I snarled.

"She went to the dark side," Winter whispered.

"Fuck!" I hissed.

I went straight to the barn and jerked the doors open. The top door to the Hercules was open and I marched up the steps and onto the flight deck. Danny and Bailey were sat in the pilot and co-pilot's seats, feet up on the console, getting high. Damn it, what was up with her? She didn't touch drugs, or so I thought.

"Bailey."

"Yeah?"

"We need to talk," I stated.

"Sure," she replied.

"Alone?"

"No."

"Okay, is it true? And if it is, who is it and what did you offer them?" I quizzed.

"Yes, Darkness and Jaguar, and none of your business."

Shit. This was bad, these guys were fucking lunatics. "Baby, look... I'm just worried about you," I told her.

She looked around at me and passed the joint back to Danny. "Look Ric, it was my deal to make and I knew that you wouldn't ever call them. They're good, fucking shit hot at what they do. They can get on the inside in Miami and gather Intel. Trust me, please."

"What did you offer them, Lee? Guys like that don't come cheap."

She sighed and took the joint back off Danny, taking a long drag. She blew a couple of smoke rings and seemed to consider my question. Finally she replied. "$200,000 each and two jobs. It's no big deal, I owed them anyway."

"You owed them? Shit girl, what the hell are you mixed up in?" I asked in shock.

"Everything," was her reply.

"Explain," I barked.

"Sit down Ric."

I dropped down into the navigator's seat and put my head in my hands. "I don't want to know, do I?" I asked.

"Not really," she replied softly.

"Go on," I prompted.

"Worked a few jobs with them starting about eight years back, and then did a solo job in Mexico. That went to rat shit and they had to bail me out. I still owe them for that."

I looked at the young woman that I had thought I had known for the last four years. She'd rarely shared personal information with me and most of her government file was shit. I really and truly had no idea just who she was or where she came from.

I'd been blinded by her personality and her quiet acceptance of me for who I was on the inside. I thought I knew what lurked in her heart, but I didn't know how that had come to be there. After all this time, she really was a mystery. There must be something that she wasn't telling me.

"Just who are you, really?" I asked.

She gave me a small smile and shrugged. "Who do you want me to be?"

"You," I stated. "The real you."

"You sure?" she asked.

I nodded. "I want the truth, all of it this time. Don't feed me a fraction of the story like you did before we left."

Bailey sighed and looked over at Danny. "Skin up again, bro. We could be here a while. So..." she said and looked at me, "First off, you need to do something. Put your hand on your heart and swear on your daughter's life that none of the following tale is ever repeated to anyone."

I wasn't sure I really wanted to hear what she had to say now. She took my hesitancy as a sign of reluctance on keeping her secret, and glared. "Swear, or no story."

I put my hand on my heart and looked her in the green eyes. "I swear on Julie's life that anything you tell me concerning your past will never be repeated to anyone."

She took the freshly rolled joint from Danny and lit it. For a couple of minutes she sat there in silence, then turned away from me and started talking.

"So you know that I moved over here in 1990. After mum died, dad got a bit jumpy and decided to go to the States for work. He's an assassin, so I guess it didn't matter to him where we lived. As you can imagine, he worked away a lot, and most of the time it was just me and my older brother, Diarmuid.

"D's three years older and always looked out for me, constantly tried to protect me from the big, bad world. Never approved of what dad did for a living. Anyway, he was 18 when my dad got sent down, and within days he had us back on a plane to Ireland to go live our aunt. I was 15 and had no real parental figure in my life. I guess the last few years caught up with me and I rebelled.

"One day I just got up, packed a bag and walked away. Ended up living rough in Belfast. Found that the best way to earn a little cash was to pick pockets. Guess I picked up a lot of my dad's skills by osmosis or something, and managed to put some of them to use to survive.

"By sixteen, I'd found that the best targets were drunk squadies. There were still problems in Northern Ireland, and the British army still had a heavy presence in the city. The guys would hit the bars and pubs and get wasted. It was like taking candy from a baby. Until one Friday night, when I picked on the wrong guy.

"Warwick may have been shit faced, but Billy and Winter weren't. I'd just stolen Warwick's money, when Billy came out of nowhere and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me down a dark alley. I was skinny, dirty and flat chested. Hell, I looked like a lad. Figured it would keep me safer that way, and it usually did. Not that night though.

"Billy beat the shit out of me. I could handle myself pretty well, but not against a guy twice my size. I thought I was going to die, but Winter suddenly pulled him off me and I hit the deck, bouncing my skull off the concrete.

"Next thing I know, I'm waking up in hospital with concussion, a broken rib and a fractured wrist. Winter's sat next to me and he offered me a deal. See Winter worked in covert intelligence for the SAS. He wanted some information on a guy. I get the Intel and Warwick wouldn't press charges for theft. Plus they'd pay me for the job.

"It was a piece of piss. Got the information with ease and got my cash. So Winter offered me a permanent job. I'd find stuff out for him and he'd give me cash for what I found out. It was a good arrangement, but it didn't last.

"The army starts to pull out of Northern Ireland and they shut down the covert ops. I'm out of a job and Winter and the boys are being sent back to England to shuffle paper behind a desk until they were needed for the next hostage crisis or something.

"So the four of them, Winter, Warwick, Danny and Billy went AWOL. Decided to go work for whoever would pay the most cash for their services. And me, I went with them. I had nowhere else to go. Back then, I guess I didn't care if I lived or died. I suppose I was just young and foolish.

"Did a couple of jobs in South America and that's where I met up with Jer and Kelly; Darkness and Jaguar. I was young and took to the life like a duck to water. I guess I really was my father's daughter. I spent any spare time I had learning how to handle weapons and hand to hand combat. Then I discovered computers and began to learn how to hack.

"Up until the time I met you, I did jobs with Winter and the boys, jobs with Jer and Kelly, but mostly I did solo ops and my stuff with the Mob, I liked my independence too much to constantly work with the same group of people. When Winter called to tell me that the government wanted my backside found, I was 22 and had killed more men than I could count. I knew that one day my actions would catch me up, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. It was only by sheer luck that the Government weren't fully aware of all my activities. They knew about the hacking and the Mob stuff, but thankfully that was it.

"So I did the only thing I could, I ran. I was stuck in the States and didn't want to leave in case I got busted at an airport. All my fake passports and gear was stashed in a couple of crates at Winter's place in Mexico, and I didn't want to get anyone busted for trying to help me out.

"When you caught up with me in Phoenix, I thought I was going to die. You will never know just how grateful I was for the fact that you offered me a job. Having somewhere secure to call my home these last four years has been a god send.

"So, that's me. Gun for hire and computer hacker. Thief and spy. Wanted in more countries than you'll ever know. But also friend to a handful of guys I would give my life for. Winter, Danny, you and a couple of others are the closest thing to family that I have, and I will always do everything in my power to protect and keep you safe."

She turned back to look at me. "There is no price for what we give each other, ever."

I reached out slowly and took her hand in mine, pressing a kiss to her palm. "I know. And thank you."

She smiled and for the first time since she came around on Saturday, the smile reached her eyes. "There's a lot of missing stuff, missions and the like. I don't like to talk about a lot of them. Can you accept that?"

I nodded "Yes. I'm glad I finally got to know who you really are and what made you the person that I got to know over the last few years. I guess I finally know who you are, Shade."

"You knew my name?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, not until you just told me that little tale. I know who you are, and I know who Shade is, but I had never connected the two of you. I guess it makes sense really. You're a very dangerous young woman, with a huge price on your head, you know?"

"Oh yeah, I know. Why do you think that I'm happy to hide out in Boston? I only leave the building for jobs these days. The more people I take out, the bigger the price on my head. I guess that one day I'm going to have to leave the States, but I'm not short of places to go. A couple of guys have offered me long term contracts."

"Like Winter?" I quizzed.

"Yeah, like Winter. But I don't know yet. I'm happy where I am for the moment."

"Good to hear, I'm sure that information will keep Lester happy," I teased.

"Lester?"

"If you left the country, he'd follow you, and I quite like having my cousin about, despite him being a pain in the ass. No doubt Bobby would leave with him too," I mused.

"He'd get over it," she stated.

I shook my head. "No, I don't think he would. You are the first person in a hell of a long time that he has shown any feelings for. I won't say the L word, but he's certainly heading in that direction."

"Shit," she muttered. "I don't know if I could handle that..."

Danny reached over and squeezed her arm. "About time you found someone, girl. Besides, he's as messed up as you are, so there won't ever be a dull moment."

"As much as I'm enjoying the two of you dissecting my love life, I need to check in with the guys," she grumbled. She punched their number into her sat phone and waited for one of them to pick up.

"It's me," she stated. "How'd it go?"

I didn't want Darkness and Jaguar on this Op, but we were running out of options. They were two very nasty guys with a reputation for cold clinical kills the world over. Six months ago, I'd have been more than happy to hunt their asses down and turn them in. Now, now I'd work with the devil himself if I got to keep everyone safe and go home soon.

"Really... good. I'll check in again later," she said, and hung up.

"Well?" I asked.

"They're in. Both got hired on the spot. They're working the graveyard shift for the next few days. It should give them time to poke about and do some digging for us. It's not like a locked door is going to stop those two."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Fantastic. Good call, Lee."

"You're not mad?" she asked.

"No, I'm just not used to working outside the law that much. There are black Ops and then there is the shit you're involved in. I guess I just need to learn to think outside the box a bit more and utilize people I wouldn't normally work with," I said.

"Just don't bust them, Ric. They aren't too happy to be working for The Cuban," Bailey stated.

"I don't think I'll be going after anyone anymore. My government days are over. But if they don't want this job, why did they take it?" I quizzed.

"Because I asked them to," Bailey replied. "Besides, they could have charged a lot more."

"I can cover the $400,000," I told her.

"I thought you would," she said with a shy smile. "Which is good, because most of my cash is tied up in stuff right now. They'll come through for us. You want me to call Billy or Warwick and see if we can get one of them into the Trenton office as a contract worker?"

"Not right now. I've got Ella keeping tabs on stuff there, plus we can remote access the cameras, right?" I asked.

"Sure. Oh, I've got some interesting stuff from Junior's phone and email records. It's pretty damning really. Unless someone is a fucking genius and hacked the records, he's as guilty as hell of selling us all out."

"How likely is it that the records have been tampered with?" I questioned.

Bailey shrugged. "Pretty unlikely. I hacked in to gain access without detection, but then it's my system. I think if anyone else had been in the files, they'd have left behind some evidence. I hate to say it, but the logs look genuine to me. I think it would be one of the last things someone would access and fuck about with. I've got an alert system in place on my computer for anytime he dials out or takes a call on his extension, and it's going to record it all. When the shit hits the fan in the next twenty four hours or so, I suspect that he'll make a call to Richmond or Clayton, even if it's just to confirm things. He'll want to double check if you are really dead or not."

I sighed. "I still can't believe it. Do you have any indication as to how long he's been working for them?"

"I'm not sure yet," Lee answered as she dropped the remains of the joint onto the floor and stubbed it out with the toe of her boot. Danny rolled his eyes because of her inability to pass the smoke to him, and began to skin up again.

"Best guess?" I asked.

"A while, if I had to put a time frame on it, I'd say maybe from the beginning. Junior did cross paths with Richmond while he was in the forces and maybe they hoped that you'd offer the guy a job out of respect for his brother. This could have been brewing for a long time. Whatever it is that they want payback for, I suspect that they are being pretty patient about it. Who knows, maybe they planned to take you out on your last mission right from the start."

"Fuck, I want these bastards nailed," I growled.

Danny lit his joint and smiled. "Don't you worry Ranger, they'll pay. Slowly, painfully and terminally. By the time we're through, their own mother's won't recognize them."

"You need a new name, Ric," Lee said with a grin. "The Cuban is in the past, and you've now gone to the dark side."

"I bet all the good ones are already taken," I muttered.

"The dark avenger," Danny offered.

"Just how strong is that stuff the two of you are smoking?" I demanded.

Danny shrugged, "Not that bad. Besides, my tolerance is pretty high."

"It's not the only thing that's pretty high around here," Lee said with a giggle.

Danny took another toke, and offered me the joint. "Makes the world a little less grim," he said with a smile.

If world war three broke out while I was stoned, I'd be really pissed. Fuck it. I took the offered smoke, took a long drag and closed my eyes.

"El Diablo," Lee offered.

"Taken. Well, the guy's dead, but I'm pretty sure that you can only use the name once," Danny countered.

"I thought that one word names were the most common," I murmured.

"Mostly," Lee said. "That's why mine got shortened. Besides, Deadly Nightshade was a bit of a gob full. Shade's much better. What about Shadow?"

"No," I snapped. I smoked some more of the joint, hoping that this conversation would begin to make more sense.

"Give it time," Danny mused. "Something will happen and the right name will just pop out of nowhere."

"What is your name?" I asked him.

Danny smiled. "Fox."

"Fox?" I quizzed.

"Because of the color of his hair," Bailey explained.

I turned the name over in my mind and made a connection to another. "And Winter is Frost?" I asked.

"Yup," Danny said with a nod.

"Jesus fucking Christ," I muttered. "You guys are crazy. I've heard rumours of the shit you pull. So you run guns too? Or is that just a conjecture?"

Danny smiled, but remained silent. Lee looked away and picked at her nails. Great, just fucking great.

I passed the joint to Lee and looked over at Danny. "How much gear have you got? I'm in need of another."

"Enough," he said with a grin and reached for his stash tin.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Jer and Kelly belong to Kevan. Cheers for letting me borrow the boys, and thanks for all your comments and input on this chapter babe, you've been a great help.

And huge thanks to everyone who keeping up with this chaotic and angst filled ride, especially those who review. There's only about 4/5 chapters left to go now, the end is in sight.

Warning for language.

This chapter was powered by Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos and Greene Goblin Cider.

* * *

Being stoned was like looking at the world through rose tinted glasses. By nine AM on Monday morning, I was feeling a lot better. Bailey was curled up on Danny's lap, fast asleep. Her visible bruises were healing, changing color from purple and black to blue, green and a sickly looking yellow.

I looked up and met Danny's gaze. "How's she doing, really?"

Danny sighed. "She's okay, considering. Fucking exhausted though, she's not sleeping well at all. She's getting bad nightmares and flash backs. She's been through some shit in her life, but I think this takes the biscuit. It's gonna take her time to get over this, and to be honest, I'm really worried about her. She's not the sort of person to ask anyone for help."

"Shit," I replied.

"Maybe in time she'll ask, but right now, hell, I have no idea. She's letting me in, so I'm keeping a close eye in her. I don't think she's slept more than a couple of hours since Saturday night," Danny whispered.

"What's between the two of you?" I asked. I had to know, my curiosity was getting the better of me.

"This little girl is my sister. Not by blood, but by choice. We've watched out for each other for a long time now, about 10 years. I'll always be there for her, no matter what," Danny stated. A look of pain flashed across his face. As quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

"Who'd you lose?" I asked.

He rested his chin on top of Bailey's head and looked at me. "My little sister. She was three years older than Lee, they shared the same birthday. Emily died in a car crash just after her 18th birthday. Bailey reminds me so much of her. When Emily died, I thought that I'd lost everything. She had been my light in all this dark shite. And then Bailey came along. She was this little girl in a big bad world, and I made it my mission to make sure she was safe. I guess I feel like I let her down the other night."

I shook my head. "No, if anyone let her down, it was me. I should have never let her in there."

Danny hugged Lee tighter to him as she whimpered in her sleep. "Bailey makes her own choices in life. I learnt a long time ago to support her decisions and pick up the pieces when shit falls apart. She knew what she was getting herself into. Though things have gone to rat shit in the past, it's never been as bad as this. Yet, believe me Ric, she knew the risks involved. If she didn't care for you so much, she wouldn't have walked into that bar unarmed."

I scrubbed my hands over my face and pushed my hair back with my fingers. "I hate the fact that she got hurt. I would give anything to change what happened."

"Life don't work like that, man. Believe me, I know. You can't change the past by analyzing the what if's and the maybe's. What you can do is look to the future and deal with that.

The hard look in his eyes matched my own right now; I knew just where he was coming from. Despite that, a comfortable silence stretched between us as I watched Bailey sleep in his arms. Her past had shocked me a little, and I was still sure there was a hell of a lot she wasn't telling me.

I had often wondered why she looked at the world the way she did, through jaded eyes. I guess now I knew, ten years of dark shit was enough to make anyone feel old. How long did she have left before she hit the bottom and burned out? Or was she already there?

Footsteps brought me out of my musings, and both Danny and I reached for our guns as Lee jolted awake at the sound.

"It's just me, guys," Winter said from the doorway. "Lee, your laptop is going haywire and making a load of funny noises. I think you need to check it out."

"Oh shit!" she grumbled as she pushed herself of Danny's lap and wobbled upon half asleep legs to the door.

"Problems?" I quizzed.

"Maybe," she muttered. "It's set to alert when Junior receives incoming calls or dials out. Good thing I set it to record, or we might have missed some important shit."

Winter, Danny and I crowded around Bailey as she sat at the dining room table, her fingers flying over the keyboard of her laptop.

"Junior got a call from Clayton Nevis," she stated as she clicked a few buttons and pulled up the audio feed. "I wonder what Nevis had to say to our little traitor?" she mused as she hit play.

"_Good morning, Rangeman Trenton."_

"_Can you talk right now?"_

"_Yeah, now's fine Clayton."_

"_I have some good news for you Junior. My brother called me this morning from Washington, the mission was a 100 percent success."_

"_All of them?"_

"_Yes, there were no survivors. The Russians did a thorough job."_

_Junior let out a sigh over the phone. "Good. What do you want me to do now?"_

"_Put phase 2 of the plan into action. Do you have that disc I sent you?"_

"_The one with the virus? Yes."_

"_Good. I'm going to get my man on the inside at Rangeman Miami to upload it at the scheduled time we agreed upon. I'll send in a team to clean up the building and remove any obstacles in our way once that is done. Remember, you need to take out that disaster prone piece of ass that Manoso is hooked on, and anyone else who is close to him."_

"_Okay, I understand. I'm looking forward to dealing with Stephanie Plum; I'll take care of the bitch personally. The housekeeper and her husband will need to go as well. Erik and I will deal with them once the nightshift takes over. There will only be two men in the control room, they should be easy to remove. No one will question my presence. Do you want me to tell anyone about the team's demise in Scotland?"_

"_No, I don't think anyone needs to know that Ricardo Manoso and his band of thugs have been dealt with just yet. Do you have a plan for the bodies?"_

"_Sure, Erik and I will make it look like a hit and when it is over, I'll call the cops to come clean up the mess. To the authorities, it will just look like some bad element of Ric's past coming back with a grudge. No one will question that, the man made a lot of enemies over the years."_

"_Good, so it looks like we are all set and everything is in order. We'll talk again when it's done."_

There were no words that could describe my anger at this moment. Those cunts were going to kill Steph! But not only her, Ella, Louis and anyone else who stood in their way. Then the bastards wanted to take out my Company, my life's work. The Fuckers! They were going down.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, but it didn't work. With a roar, I span around and put my fist through the plaster board wall. Blood ran down my hand and arm, but I couldn't feel a damn fucking thing, I was numb inside.

Someone touched me gently on the shoulder, and I jerked around, fist raised. I came face to face with Bailey. She caught my injured hand before it made contact with her, and squeezed, hard.

"Enough," she growled. "Now is not the time, Ric. Pull your shit together, we need a plan, and fast."

I looked over at a grim faced Winter. "Go round the guys up. We have some plotting to do," I ordered.

I pulled out my sat phone and dialled C.J. I had to warn my cousin about Clayton's plans.

C.J was pissed, hell he was beyond pissed. He was fucking furious. It took me ten minutes to calm him down and put an emergency plan into action. We decided to step up the building security in case the shit hit the fan. I trusted the bulk of my guys and I knew how good they were. I hung up the phone feeling confident that C.J, Toni, and the Miami crew could handle themselves and deal with anything that Clayton threw at them. C.J had a couple of ideas who the Black Hawk plant could be and he was going to keep those two men out of the way until he was sure who it was.

But what was concerning me was the Trenton office. So far we had no concrete information to go on, and I didn't want to call Ella with some half veiled possibility of danger. If we could get back to Trenton today and deal with Junior and Erik, then Steph, Ella and my men wouldn't be in danger anymore.

It pained me to do it, but I figured the best thing to do was say nothing and get us up to New Jersey ASAP. It was a risky decision, but what seemed like the right thing to do, given the little information we had to go on. We would get there in time; we had to get there in time. I could not have more people close to me getting hurt because of my past. It was times like this that I wished that someone else was in charge to make all the difficult decisions that affected everyone so much. I was damned if did, and damned if I didn't.

Bailey walked over and gave me a grim smile, handing me a damp towel for my busted up hand. I wrapped the cool cloth about my fist and let out a sigh.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" she mused.

"Yeah."

She scrubbed her hands over her face and grimaced in pain. I reached out and touched her cheek gently, rubbing the pad of my thumb over the bruise that had blossomed there.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," she offered before I could ask how she was doing.

"You wouldn't tell me, even if you aren't really fine, would you amante?" I questioned.

She placed her hand on top of mine and smiled. "No, I wouldn't, but I appreciate your concern, Ric"

"We need to get back to Trenton," I stated, changing the subject. Stop dwelling on shit and press forward, I chastised myself.

"I know, I'll book us on the next flight back. We might have a problem, though."

"Hmmm?"

"If we fly commercial and use our real I.D's we might get flagged up on some government system or other. It would be best if we travelled incognito, but I'm not sure how many of us have alternative identification. I always carry some. After that cluster fuck that left me stranded in the USA while you hunted me down, I don't leave home without it. I have no doubt that Winter and Danny have theirs, they're as bad as I am for preparing for the worst case scenario," she said with a smile.

Why was I not surprised? "I guess it pays to be paranoid," I responded.

"I have a spare one of yours in my ammo crate on the plane, but I never got around to setting anything up from the rest of the guys," Bailey confessed.

"We can split up," I suggested.

"Those of us with fake I.D can fly up to Trenton. No wait, let's go to Boston first and we can raid the weapons store. The rest of the guys can drive down to Miami. They can go kick Clayton's arse in his own damn office, he won't be expecting that," she offered.

"Good plan." And it was, but so was Clayton's. It was a race against time to see who got in and pulled the rug out from under the other first.

Bobby, who had just walked in the room, interrupted, "I want to leave Snake here. He's still not 100 and another flight or a long drive wouldn't do him any good right now."

"Fine, maybe we could leave someone else with him and they can set up a command centre here. If Clayton and Junior are trying to destroy the buildings then we need some way to be able to communicate," I mused.

"Bailey should stay here," Bobby stated.

"No," was her terse reply.

"Look, Lee... I really don't think it's a good idea for you to get involved in this. You're still injured," Bobby said.

"I'm going to Trenton, Bobby. And nothing you or anyone else can say will change my mind," Bailey hissed.

Bobby sighed, "Lee, I really don't think it's a good idea."

"Oh I do," she purred. "I am going to Trenton and I am going to hunt Junior down and make him pay for what he did to me, to Ric and everyone else he's screwed over by selling us out to the Nevis brothers. By the time I have finished with him, he will be wishing that he was never born."

Bobby looked over at me for help, but I shook my head. "It's her call, man."

Bobby ran his hands over his cornrows in frustration. "I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it Bobby, it's not your decision to make," Bailey replied coolly.

"She won't change her mind, man. I'd save your breath if I were you," Danny chipped in.

Bobby glared at Bailey and stomped off.

Bailey looked up at me. "No lecture, Ric?"

I shook my head. "No, a wise person told me that the best course of action with you is to support your decisions, and be there to catch you if you fall."

"That _wise_ person has a big mouth," Bailey muttered as she cast a suspicious look at Danny.

Danny grinned and hugged her close. "That's what family is for, baby girl."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later had us packing to leave. Bailey had booked, Winter, Danny, her and myself on the next flight into Boston. Lester, Bobby, Tank and Bones were going to borrow an SUV from a neighbouring farm and drive to Miami, leaving Mac and Snake to set up a command centre in the dining room of the farm house.

Once again, I found myself working with little or no Intel and a hastily concocted plan. It seemed to be the running theme of this mission. But at least it was looking like the end was in sight. Clayton had placed a few cards on the table, giving us an idea of their game plan, and I could at least see a way of wrapping this FUBAR'd situation up in the next 24 hours or so.

What was it my old drill sergeant had told me back in basic? Move faster and stay in cover. Hell, that sounded like a plan to me. With any luck, Junior and Clayton wouldn't know what hit them. We would still have Richmond to deal with, but I was confident that we could flush him out and take him down.

I went over to the wrecked Hercules to see if there was anything of use I could get onto a commercial flight, and found Lee in the barn yelling at someone down the phone. She was pissed, very pissed. I almost felt sorry for the person at the other end, and I sure as hell was glad that it wasn't me she was angry with.

"And when the fuck were you going to tell me, arsehole?" she demanded.

She started pacing back and forth the length of the barn, and on the second pass, she spotted me in the doorway. She acknowledged my presence with a slight nod of her head, never breaking stride with the path she was wearing in the dirt floor.

"What the hell, Jer! I asked you for some help, not for you to turn up, keep Intel to yourself and run around with Kelly playing vigilante," she spat.

Oh shit! What the hell was going on in Miami?

"You're doing me a favour? No Jer, you are making my life difficult. Toe the line, or get the fuck out of there. You will not fuck this up, do you hear me?" she hissed.

I really wanted to hear the other side of this conversation, but there was little I could do about it right now.

"Don't mess with me, Darkness! I'm a woman on the edge right now, and I will hunt your sorry arse down and kick it from here into next fucking month. It's not a game, people lives are at stake here... Whose? Mine! And people I care about, you fuckwit!"

Despite the severity of her words, I found myself choking back a snigger. Bailey had just, by the sounds of it, called Darkness, one of the world's most deadly assassins, a fuckwit. I suspected that their working relationship must be pretty good, otherwise she had just signed her own death warrant.

Bailey let rip a stream of Gaelic and kicked an empty bottle across the barn. It slammed into an old oil drum and shattered into a million pieces.

She took a deep breath and continued her conversation. "Am I threatening you? You bet the hell I am. You don't scare me, I've got enough dirt on you and the pretty boy to put you both away for an eternity. And I know where you live, remember that...Oh really? You think so do you? I can hold a grudge for a very long time, so I suggest next time you find out some information, you call me... No, Jer... What?... Hey, I'm not some dumb fucking damsel in distress here, I don't need you to ride to my rescue, I want keeping in the god damn loop."

She hung up the phone and looked around at me.

"Problems?" I quizzed.

Bailey grimaced. "Depends on your definition of a problem. My guys in Miami are having communication issues; they don't want to share Intel."

"Explain."

"They've picked up on what is going down too. They don't have a timetable yet, but they were planning on taking out Clayton tonight anyway," she muttered as she shifted her weight slightly onto one leg.

"You okay?"

"Fine, I think I pulled a couple of stitches when I kicked that bottle."

I nodded. "Get Bobby to check it out before we leave. I take it you stalled Darkness and Jaguar then?"

"I think so, but you can never tell with those two. I think we owe it to our boys to let them take out Clayton, I guess they'll find out what the situation is when they get down there," Bailey stated. She limped off back to the house and left me alone in the barn.

* * *

Our flight to Boston was only two hours off when Bones came back with the SUV from the next farm. We needed to get packed and head off, as we all had long journeys ahead of us. It had been decided to pack any remaining weapons into crates and put them in the back of the truck. There was only one way for us to get weapons on a plane to Boston, and that meant providing my government clearance details at check in. To do that was akin to broadcasting on CNN that not only were my team and I were still alive, but that we were back in the States. So it meant that we would be unarmed for a few hours, but it was unavoidable.

The only stuff my team were carrying was computer equipment and clothing. Once in Boston we were going to access the Rangeman building via the sewers. It turned out that Bailey had fixed the sewer access so you could get in and out in an emergency. We were going to send a false feed to the security cameras in the sub basement and no one would even know we had been there.

We had enough munitions down there to invade a third world country. And then there was Bailey's personal arsenal from her room, so make that two third world countries we could invade. Once we had the gear, we were going to load it into the sewers and carry it ten blocks back across town to under an old warehouse. The building was owned by Rangeman, but only if you looked closely enough, and it held nothing but a couple of SUV's. I had no idea the place even existed.

It turned out that my little computer genius had been hacking into my own company, stealing money and setting up bolt holes and back up plans. Bailey had put in place a similar set up in Trenton, I also knew nothing about one either. Her reasoning was that the more people who knew about them, the greater the risk of someone you didn't want in the building finding out about them and getting in.

Thanks to her paranoia we were set and able to get to Trenton. Even after the flight, gathering the equipment and the four hour drive, we should get there around nine PM. Bailey reckoned that it would take us an hour tops to get into the building and both Junior and Erik had rooms on the fourth floor. Simple, easy, almost fool proof.

My Miami team would be loaded for bear, making them nigh on unstoppable. It felt good to have the upper hand for the first time in over a week. Their objective was simple, kill Clayton. Our surveillance had already told us that he never left the building on an evening, meaning that he must have an apartment on site, just like I had in Trenton.

A late night raid on a heavily secured building would still be a walk in the park for my guys, plus we had help on the inside from Darkness and Jaguar. Once Clayton, Junior and Erik were dealt with we needed to hit Richmond in Washington. That needed a fresh plan, but I would put that together once phase one was over and done with.

I grabbed my duffle and went out to the truck. Mac was going to drop us off at the airport and then head back here to set up the command centre. Winter and Danny were ready and Lee was getting our grumpy medic to tape her leg back together. She'd pulled half a dozen stitches in the incident in the barn and we didn't have the time sew them, so tape was going to have to do.

She limped outside a couple of minutes after me and tossed her bag in the back of the truck.

"All set?" I asked.

She nodded, and then a beat later, rolled her eyes. "Make that a no, actually. I'm still carrying. Let me get rid of my knives and then I'm good to go."

"You could kill a man with your bare hands, girl," Danny teased. "I don't know why you insist in carrying so much junk."

Winter let out a bark of laughter as a throwing knife buried itself in the barn wall about an inch from Danny's head. "Stop teasing her, man. Every time you piss her off, she just kicks your arse. I thought you would have learned that by now."

Danny pulled the knife from the wall and handed it back to Bailey. "One of these days, girl, I'll get the drop on you first."

"Right, sure, whatever, Danny boy," she baited.

"Children!" Winter growled, "Enough."

"Are they always like this?" I quizzed.

"No, usually it's worse. When Warwick is about the three of them are dreadful," Winter groused.

Danny and Bailey made eye contact and then looked to Winter. "Sorry dad," the both said simultaneously, while trying to suppress their laughter.

Winter rolled his eyes and climbed into the truck.

"Damn it, Winter got shotgun," Danny bitched.

Winter leaned out of the open window "Well if you will insist on playing around when we're in a hurry..."

"Bastard," Danny muttered and climbed in the back.

"Come on Lee, time to go," I said as I steered her around to the other side of the truck.

"I still have to get rid of my gear," she stated.

"For the love of god, woman, give it to Mac when we get to the airport!" Winter yelled.

I bit back a snigger. Poor Winter, it sounded like getting his crew organized was akin to herding cats. I pulled the truck door open and was just about to boost Bailey onto the back seat when Lester appeared out of nowhere.

"I don't want you going, Lee," he hissed as he grabbed hold of her arm.

"Let go," Bailey growled as she wrenched her arm free.

"Lester," I warned.

"Stay out of this, Ric!" Lester yelled. His blue eyes were wild and he looked about three steps from a meltdown.

Bailey studied him closely for a second and let out a sigh. "Come on Les," she said as she took his hand and drew him away from the vehicle.

They talked for about five minutes, just out of ear shot. Towards the end of the conversation, Lee handed Lester her knives. He accepted them all, secreting them about his person, and then pulled a set of dog tags from around his neck.

After Manny died, Lester added his brother's dog tags to his own chain. To give them to Bailey was a huge step from him. He slipped them around her neck and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. Lester was well and truly hung up on Bailey, there was no doubt about it in my mind now.

Winter must have seen the exchange too, and growled something rude from inside the truck, which caused Danny to hiss a warning at him. It seemed that no one messed with their girl. I was actually surprised that I still had my balls intact, since they knew that Lee and I had that whole friends with benefits thing going on for the last few years.

Bailey kissed Lester on the cheek and pulled away. They exchanged a few more words and she came back to the truck, not once looking over her shoulder.

I helped her into the cab and I looked down at the dog tags hanging around her neck.

"You okay?" I quizzed

She shrugged and slipped the tags inside of her top. "Who knows, I really don't care anymore," she muttered as she rested her head against Danny's shoulder and closed her eyes.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **Huge thanks to Trish for looking this over and explaining American roads and Police regulations to me. Also, Em for suggestions and cheer leading, and Kev for picking holes in things and asking questions that made me write better and flesh things out so much more.

Thanks also to my merry band of reviewers. Your support always has and always will mean so much to me. Thank you for sticking with this fic and reading outside of the box.

I've only 2 more chapters to go now and they are written in draft. This epic should be all done and dusted by the weekend. Enjoy.

**Monday 16.42PM Boston**

"A week in the fucking Bahamas!" Danny bitched, as we hauled the second and last weapons crate out of the sewer opening in the warehouse.

"Shut up," Winter growled.

"You know, this plan won't work now. They'll smell us coming a mile off," Danny continued.

"Will you just shut up for five sodding minutes," Winter snapped.

"Boys!" Bailey yelled. "Stop it."

My team was on edge and we were low on equipment. It seemed that Marcus had tidied up the basement in the absence of Snake, Bones and Bailey at Rangeman Boston. After this was over, someone needed to pay Marcus a little visit. His attitude was in serious need of adjustment. Half the gear that had been stored there was missing. If it wasn't for Bailey's personal stash, the plan would have been FUBAR'd.

We'd come away with just enough night vision equipment and comm gear for the four of us, but it was all old low tech Russian gear left over from the end of the cold war. If we'd had the time, we could have bought better equipment off Ebay. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see that the missing gear from Boston was being sold on there.

Bailey had replaced all the knives that she had given to Lester. The throwing knives were custom made, and it turned out that she had three 

sets. Winter took the spare set; guess that solved the question of who taught her to use knives. He'd caressed the lethal pieces of hand crafted steel almost lovingly, a strange glint in his eyes. It was a look I knew so well, the look of a trained killer. When he'd glanced in my direction, I'd suppressed a shiver. It was like staring in the mirror; another blackened soul akin to my own.

There were enough hand guns a piece, a couple of MP 5's, some very illegal ammo, a couple of kilos of Semtex and a collection of flash bang grenades that we could only use in an emergency, as they would fuck up our out dated night vision.

If only we had the option of shutting the power down, we would have been okay. That was not an option, we didn't want to give Junior or Erik any warning. We needed a simple, clean, locate-and-subdue.

The best plan we had so far was to access the Trenton building from the sewers that came up in the gun range store room, and then tap into the building's cameras to locate the targets. Then we could switch the cameras to a recorded feed that would hide our presence while we took down Junior and Erik.

I dragged the two crates over to the SUV and tried the cargo door. Locked. "Keys?" I quizzed.

"In the spare tire well in the back," Lee answered as she pulled her laptop out of her bag and booted it up.

"Oh, well that's just very fucking clever," Danny grumbled.

Winter reached over and smacked him around the head. "If you can't say anything useful, don't say anything at all. Got that?"

"Fuck you, Winter," Danny spat.

"Hey, will you two stop it! I'm trying to work here," Bailey snarled.

Danny opened his mouth to say something and Bailey gave him her 'don't fuck with me' glare. He snapped his mouth shut and stomped off to the far side of the warehouse, where he pulled out a pack of cigs and lit one.



"I wish he wouldn't do that," Winter grumbled.

"It's just nerves, you know how he gets. Just let him be, Winter," Bailey suggested. "Besides, you're no better. I see you chewing your finger nails."

"What? And you're just sitting there as cool as a fucking cucumber?" Winter gritted out.

"No, if you watch, she twists her hair around her fingers when she's nervous," I stated.

Bailey laughed. "Very observant, Mr Manoso. And do stop cracking your knuckles, it's very distracting."

"Glad to see we're all human," I commented dryly. "Now, about these car keys?"

"I'm working on it, give me a minute."

"Good job no one is following us," Winter complained.

Bailey blushed. "I err... yeah. I guess I fucked this up a bit, that was never a thought when I set this up.

"Fucking hell!" Danny yelled from across the room. "Hold the front page, Lee's admitting that she fucked something up."

Lee shot him the bird and carried on typing on her keyboard.

"Well?" I asked a couple of minutes later.

Bailey chewed her lip and muttered something I couldn't quite catch.

Winter, however, rolled his eyes. He must have heard what she mumbled, and walked over to Danny, snatching the packet of cigarettes from him and lighting one up. "This is turning out to be a very bad day in Bosnia, little girl!" he shouted over.

"What's the hold up, Bailey?" I asked as I checked my watch.

"I forgot the password for the remote door locking on the SUV."

"Can we bust the locks and hot wire it?"



"No, the truck's alarmed. If it's tampered with, then the immobilizer kicks in and the fuel tank fills with water. Shit, I really fucked this up," she bitched.

"Yeah, it sure looks that way," I mused.

"I guess there's a first time for everything. I never thought I'd see the day when I made something too secure. I know that I set this password as something memorable, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was," she said.

"Memorable?" I quizzed.

"Yeah, something important in my life, but I have so many damn passwords and so many secure systems going on that I can't remember what it was."

"Can't have been that memorable than," I teased.

She looked up and gave me a huge grin. "Thank you, you've just jogged my memory."

She tapped a series of what looked like random numbers and letters into the computer, hit enter and the SUV beeped open.

"What was it?"

"Hmm?"

"The event."

"Oh, that... just, you know... nothing," she said, blushing bright red. "Come on, let's get moving."

Interesting. Enquiring minds want to know what was so memorable that it made her blush like that. I'd file that away for another time.

Bailey fished the keys out of the back and we loaded the crates in, just as Danny and Winter ambled back over.

"Thought you'd lost your touch, girl," Danny teased.

"Have I ever let you down, bro?" she joked.



"Well, now you come to mention it, there was that time in Uzbekistan when I got shot in the butt, and the time in Mexico when I-"

"Hey, the butt incident was not my fault. You should have listened to the plan. And the Mexico thang, if you will hit on the target's woman and then stand in the line of fire, you've only yourself to blame. I could have tried to shoot him through you, but I decided on the spur of the moment that you might need your brain, even if you never use it," Bailey said with an evil grin.

She climbed into the cab and stuck the keys in the ignition, turning the highly tuned engine over and revving it a little.

"You driving?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, why? You got a problem with that, Danny boy?"

"No, not at all, I just think I'll walk."

"There is nothing wrong with my driving," Bailey muttered.

"Have you got a licence yet?" Winter asked.

"Sure, about fifteen."

"No, I mean did you pass your test?"

Bailey shifted in her seat and adjusted the rear view mirror, but remained silent.

"Christ," Winter muttered. "I'm with Danny, I'll walk."

"Guys," Lee pleaded, "I'm not that bad."

"Get out the truck," I ordered.

"Ric!"

"Get out the truck, Lee."

"Please?"

"Get out the god damn truck Bailey," I snapped.

She sighed and slid out the cab, linking arms with Danny. "Come on bro, if I can't drive then I get to use your shoulder as a pillow," she muttered as she shoved Danny towards the back seat.

"Why don't I get shotgun?" Danny grumbled.

"Because Winter is bony and uncomfortable, and it's a four hour drive," she stated.

**Monday 19.13 PM Somewhere near the Tennessee – Georgia border, on route to Miami.**

"Whose idea was this?" Lester grumbled from the back seat.

"What, you mean that you want to fly commercial, and get busted before we even get on the damn plane?" Tank said. "There ain't no other way, man. So just quit whining."

"I need to stop soon, guys. I think there's a rest area in about twenty miles. We should check in with Ric and C.J. too," I suggested.

I'd been driving for about four hours and I was shattered. With the speeds we were doing down the highway, I reckoned that we should hit Miami about 3 or 4 AM. So I was going about 30 over the limit, but as long as we didn't get pulled over, we should be fine.

"I'll take the next leg, Bobby," Tank offered.

"Cheers, man," I responded. It was best if we swapped drivers along the way. It would give us all a chance to sleep and we should all be pretty with it by the time we finally got to the Black Hawk offices.

I really needed a piss, but I was just gonna have to hang on a little longer. We were nearly out of Tennessee and into Georgia. All in all we were making good time. I looked down at the speedometer; I was pushing 100 miles an hour in the fast lane of the interstate.

Suddenly Bones, who was riding shot gun hissed a warning. "Cool the speed, man! It's a trooper."



I didn't see the Crown Vic parked at the side of the road until it was too late. By the time I slammed the anchors on and reduced my speed, I was looking at flashing lights in my rear view mirror.

"Shit, damn, fuck," I growled.

"What the fuck are we going to do?" Lester bitched. "We are so screwed."

It was no use antagonising the local cops anymore than I had already done, so I pulled over to the side of the road and powered the window down. For a few brief seconds I had debated not stopping but I shut the engine off and placed my hands on the steering wheel.

The guys tried to appear unobtrusive, but it wasn't working. We looked dodgy as fuck. We just gave off an air of menace, and it didn't help that we were armed to the teeth. If they searched the back then we would be looking at the inside of a jail cell until someone could bail us out, and only god knew when that would be.

Lester was right, we were screwed. We were supposed to be dead, and if this guy checked our I.D then it would flag up on the system, possibly blowing our cover. How the hell were we going to get out of this one?

Suddenly, Bones pulled some sort of badge from his wallet and hopped out of the truck.

"What the fuck?" Tank exclaimed.

Lester groaned. "Did he really just do what I think he did?"

I dropped my head to the steering wheel and sighed. This was it; we were well and truly in the shit now. I glanced back up to watch Bones through the rear view mirror. He'd jogged over to the young traffic cop, I.D held high, voice just audible over the buzz of the traffic.

The cop stopped in his tracks a few steps from his car. He looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights. I had no idea what the fuck Bones was saying to him, but the arm waving and gestures he was making came across as very angry indeed.

Bones indicated towards our truck and yelled some more. The rookie took a few steps back, trying to blend into the darkness and failing miserably.

Tank and Les were peering through the back window, stunned, silenced by Bones' diatribe.

Bones had advanced on the guy, shoving him back against the Crown Vic, and suddenly the cop went limp, falling against Bones. Oh holy Mary, mother of God! He'd just fucking stunned a cop.

Bones popped the driver's door open and lowered the lad into the seat. Then, after a quick look to make sure there wasn't that much traffic about, steered the car into the gulley at the side of the road, effectively hiding it from view of the passing cars.

Job done, Bones strolled back to our truck and slid onto the passenger seat. He was grinning broadly and handed Tank an FBI badge.

"You're a fucking nut," Lester muttered.

"Jesus, next time you pull shit like that, give us some warning," I bitched as I rejoined the traffic, wanting to put as much space between us and the unconscious cops as possible.

"Let me see that I.D," Lester demanded.

Bones laughed and Tank handed it over.

I shook my head. "Do I even want to know?" I quizzed.

"I still can't believe you did that," Tank grumbled.

Bones laughed. "Well, it beats getting busted. I knew that thing would come in handy one day."

Whilst true, I still wished that he'd not zapped a cop. Bones had always been a risk taker; I guess some things never change.

"Shit, this rocks, Bones. Where did you get this? Can I get one?" Lester asked in awe.

Bones took the I.D back and smiled. "Ask your girl."

"Bailey?"

"Yeah, whatever you need, that girl can create it."

"So why the hell are you here, instead of on a plane to Boston?" Tank asked him.

"While it's a good I.D, it's not best to let people look to closely at it. I certainly didn't want it on any passenger lists. The FBI can get a little pissed about you impersonating an officer, so it's best if I just use it for work related stuff, like scaring the shit out of people. That trooper didn't get a decent enough look at it, and I think I frightened him to death before I stunned him, so I doubt he can even remember my name," Bones said.

I nodded, "Yeah, poor guy. He didn't look a day over twenty. It's a good job you had that, man."

"So, what's the game plan for later, guys?" Tank quizzed, changing the subject swiftly.

Bones shrugged and I shook my head.

"What gear we got? Standard, or some fancy shit?" Lester queried.

"I think we've got a little bit of everything, and then some. The only thing we haven't got is schematics for the Black Hawk building," I said.

"Can we get hold of those?" Bones asked.

"Lee has men on the inside, so we should be able to get a sitrep from them," I informed them.

"Who's in there?" Bones asked.

"I'm not sure, Ric didn't say much about them. I think that they know Winter and his guys somehow, and that Lee works with them sometimes. I caught the tail end of a conversation between Ric and Lee and she called one of the Cougar, or something. I don't think that's right, but I wasn't paying much attention at the time," I stated.

Bones grinned. "Well, if they work with Winter and his boys then I'll bet my next weeks pay that they are mad bastards."

Tank chuckled. "Seems to me that it's a given that you have to be a fruit cake to work the sorts of jobs those guys pull on a regular basis."

"Yeah, but it makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Lester mused.

"Hmm?" I responded.

"What they do and what we do, I mean a lot of us come from the same backgrounds, so at some point we all must decide which way to go, who's side to be on. What do you think it is that makes some guys work for the other side?" he asked.

"Money." Tank stated.

"You think it's as simple as that?" Lester quizzed. "I mean, it's not like we're poor. Something must have made them cross the line."

"I guess everyone is different and works from their own unique set of ethics. Winter and Danny seem like decent guys, for a couple of gun running mercs anyway. But I guess it does make you wonder a little. If something in my past had gone differently, would I be in their shoes?" I pondered.

"It's a very fine line, in fact, I do believe I just crossed it myselves," Bones whispered.

I glanced in the rear view mirror.

Lester was scrubbing his hands over his face. "After Manny died, I swore that I'd be better than the guys that killed him, that I'd never do that sort of shit. But right now, that line I've been walking along is looking a little hazy.

"I know what Lee does, and part of me wants to hate her for it, that it's wrong, but it's times like this that make me see the other side of the coin. We're all mercenaries, it's just that some of us have the backing of the government and some of us don't. Doesn't make what we do any more or any less right. At the end of the day, we kill people. Just because the government tells me someone deserves to die, doesn't mean that I'm a better person than Lee or Winter or Danny."

I sighed. This was heavy fucking shit and I wasn't sure that now was the best time to analyze my career path and ethics. But deep down, something told me that this mission had changed me. I also believed that the worst was yet to come.

**Monday 21.21PM Trenton New Jersey **

The sewers of Trenton stank. I felt unclean, like the smell had seeped into my pores and no amount of scrubbing would take it away. The four of us were huddled under the ladder to the Rangeman building, checking weapons for the final assault.

Once inside we would need to work fast. We would have the upper hand for as long as our presence went undetected. Danny climbed the ladder first, unscrewing the bolts that held the metal cover shut. We were hoping that the storage room would provide some more guns and ammo, but after Boston, we weren't counting on anything.

After a couple of minutes of grunting and swearing, Danny managed to shift the cover enough for us to gain access to the building. We huddled together in the small room, not even daring to turn the light on. Someone could be in the gun range, and to fuck up now would be a very bad thing.

We stopped moving, slowing our breathing, listening for sounds of movement on the other side of the door. Nothing. Winter clicked a Mag light on and Lee dropped down to sit Indian style on the floor. She hissed a couple of swear words as her body protested to the position and she shifted to lean against the wall, legs stretched out in front of her, laptop resting upon them.

The screen spilled a soft glow around the closet as the machine booted up, and Winter turned his torch off. Seconds ticked by and then minutes as she worked. Her partially illuminated face was set in a look of deep concentration that finally gave way to a scowl.

"Problems?" I whispered.

"It's the fucking concrete, it has to be, I just don't get it... It must be stopping the feed to the building's secure system and I can't get a connection. I'm going to have to move to a different location and try to get into the Rangeman system again, or see if I can hook up via satellite. If I get in via an outside connection there's a good chance that it will trip something and set off an alert," she murmured.

"Where do you need to be?" Winter asked.

"Out on the street would do, or the first floor, but I think that's out. I'll drop back down into the sewers and see if I can get up across the street. That way I can locate the bastards and then doctor the cameras. I'll come back in through the garage entrance and we can take the stairs."

I nodded in response as she shut her computer. Winter turned his flash light back on and Danny helped her up off the floor. She groaned slightly as she stood and put her hand on her thigh.

"You okay, girl?" Danny asked.

Bailey held her fingers up in front of the beam of light. They were red with blood. "I'll live," she said with a sigh.

"Lee, you sure this is a good idea?" I asked. I hated the fact that I still worried about her, but I couldn't help myself.

She slid up against me, her lithe body flush with mine. "Am I standing upright?"

I swallowed, and nodded dumbly.

There was a soft click of a gun being cocked and I flinched as I felt her press the ice cold barrel of her Glock to my temple. "Can I still hold a gun?" she whispered, her breath tickling my neck.

I nodded again, Bailey was fucking lethal, in more ways than one.

"And," she purred as she titled her face up to mine, our lips almost touching, "Can I still hold a knife?"

I gasped as I felt the edge of a blade press against my neck.

"Stop pissing about, Lee. I think you made your point," Winter muttered.

"Poor, dumb bastard," I heard Danny chuckle.

Bailey stepped away and smiled at me. "I'm fine, Ric. Really.

She stashed her computer in her back pack and disappeared down into the sewers.

Winter chuckled and pulled off his gloves, chewing absently on a finger nail. Danny reached out and put a hand on his arm; they locked gazes and then bumped fists. Danny held his hand out to me, and I gripped it. He squeezed back and pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you, both of you," I whispered.

Winter smiled. "It's been one hell of a week, but I'm glad that we could help out."

"Even hell sounds like fun to me right now," Danny joked.

"No, hell is where we're gonna send those fuckers. And the last thing I want Junior to see is my face as I send him there," I growled.

"Think you need to join the queue, man. Bailey has first dibs on that arsehole," Winter informed me.

I shrugged, "I guess we could toss a coin."

"I'd just leave her to it, you can just help scrape the remnants off the floor when she's finished," Winter said.

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience," I mused.

"Have you ever seen her in action?" Danny asked.

I shook my head, "No, we haven't worked together that much. Though I thought her methods were pretty clean."

"Depends," Winter said with a Machiavellian grin. "If it's personal then you'll need a mop and bucket. You saw the aftermath of what Danny did to Marko, well I suspect that his ending was tame compared to what Bailey is cooking up for Junior."

"She's fucking evil," Danny offered. "Most of the time she goes for clean kills. Hell most of the time it looks natural; fools even the best coroner. 

But if there's a score to settle then she's brutal. We nearly lost Warwick on a mission a few years back. We managed to get hold of one of their guys, and for 19 hours we got nothing out of him. Then after twenty minutes of Lee getting hold of him, he was willing to sell us his own damn mother. He spilled everything and a hell of a lot more."

"What did she do to him?" I asked. Did I really want to know how that small feisty woman who occupied a lost corner of my heart extracted information from men twice her size? If I was being honest with myself, I was pretty sure I didn't.

"She used him as target practise; turned him into a pin cushion. Then she ran out of knives, so she switched to a scalpel. By the time he'd lost an eye, a couple of fingers and his left nut, he was singing like a canary. I wouldn't want to cross her, I value my looks too much," Danny said with a smile.

"Fuck," I muttered. That was nasty, and I was sure she was capable of a whole lot more. After everything Junior had done, I guessed that Winter might be right and that I would need to mop the remains up off the floor.

My morbid musings were broken by a noise from below.

"It's just me," Bailey hissed.

She emerged from the sewers like a woman possessed. As soon as she was in the closet, she tried the light switch. Nothing happened.

"Fuck!" she yelled.

"What's going on, girl?" Winter demanded.

"We're too fucking late," she growled. "The hit was tonight. Miami and Trenton lost power at 9PM. I've got a message on my cell from Mac, I guess the sewers knocked out the cell phone signal. The reason that I can't hack into the Rangeman system is because it's down. The whole building is in darkness, not even the backup system is working. All the power is out and the cameras are fucked. We need to move, now!"

Winter clicked his Mag light back on and the three of them checked their weapons while I stood there, trying to process the information I had just received.

"Ric!" Bailey snapped, as she punched me in the arm. "For fuck's sake, Ric! Get it together, we need to move. Now!"

Were my men dead? And Ella and Luis? And what about C.J and Toni and my Miami crew? Were we really too late? I checked my weapons on auto pilot, lost in a maelstrom of jumbled thoughts. The first time I'd been too late was eight years ago, when we'd lost Manny. Then I'd been too late to save Lee from hell the other night. I kept swearing that I would never be late again, but I just kept on breaking that vow and letting people down. All I wanted was to be able to keep the promises I made to people. Was that too much to ask?


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks to Trish for editing and commenting on all the daft stuff that made the first draft. And hugs to Kev for picking holes in the plot and understanding my characters (sometimes better than I do) and knowing what makes them tick.**

**Huge warning the size of Scotland for adult content, strong language, violence and nastiness. Please do not read this chapter if you do not like angst or any of the above either. I cannot stress this enough.**

**As always thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. Only one more chapter to go after this, and it is written. I promise to conclude this rollercoaster in the next day or so.**

* * *

**Monday 21.32PM Georgia, close to the Florida border**

"I swear to God man, you drive like my mother," I growled at Tank. "Just put your fucking foot to the floor."

"What, so we can stun more traffic cops and hide their bodies in ditches, Bobby?" Tank spat.

"We need to get to Miami ASAP." I hissed. "The shit has hit the fan, and with the speed of your driving, we'll be lucky if we get there in time to shove the corpses into body bags."

"Guys, chill out." Bones soothed. "There is nothing we can do right now, so stop sniping at each other. If it makes you feel any better, I'll ring command again and see if they have an update."

"Don't bother," I muttered, "Mac will keep us in the loop." We were all worried about the guys in Miami, and were still literally in the dark about 

the Trenton office. Both offices had lost power at 9PM, and while Mac had established contact with the Miami office, there was nothing from Trenton, or Ric and his team.

Miami were forewarned, so they were armed to the teeth and heavily staffed. They could withstand a siege for hours if they had to. Trenton, on the other hand, had known nothing about the hit. The only staff in the building should have been the two night crew, Ella and Louis, and maybe a couple of guys who had apartments on the 4th floor.

The fact that we couldn't get a hold of Ric was worrying, but I found it hard to believe that Junior and Erik could take out an ex army ranger, two ex SAS and an assassin. I was hoping that there was a communications problem, and that Ric would call in as soon as he could. He could in fact be dancing of that pair of traitors' bones right now for all we knew.

I risked a glance at Lester. Shit! He was hiding it well, but I'd know him long enough to know that he was a wreck. Ever since we got the call from the command centre, he'd not said a single god damn word. He'd never been right since Phoenix; eight fucking years of pain and he was still hurting.

C.J and Ric were family, and while Bailey was an added complication to Lester's messed up head state, I knew that if one of them didn't survive this night, he could well be lost to us forever. He was so close to the edge right now. This whole fucking mess with Phoenix and the Nevis brothers had dredged up a lot of memories that he'd being trying to ignore for a long time.

I reached back and put my hand on his knee and he slowly looked around at me.

"Bro?" I murmured, his blank emotionless face still worrying me.

"What?"

"You okay, man?"

Lester shrugged slightly. "Peachy keen, Bobby. I just want this to be over, to move on with my life."

"Amen to that," Tank piped up. "Eight years is a long time to dwell on shit, Les. We can't change the past, but we can deal with it and let it go. I know that we'd all like to see you let go of the past. Come back to us, brother."

Tank very rarely commented on Lester and his emotional state, but every now and then the man mountain would have a 'Silent Bob Moment' and come out with some profound shit. Looks like right now was one of those times.

Since Phoenix, I'd kept Lester's the demons at bay as best I could. I was there with him; we'd lived through it when I thought we'd all end up dead. Of all the people he knew, I was the one that got through to him the best. Lester was my brother; the bond we shared ran deeper than blood.

For the last eight years it had felt like we were lost at sea and only one of us was wearing a life jacket; I'd been keeping him afloat. But now, sitting in a borrowed truck, speeding south in the dark to deal with Nevis, it felt like things had come full circle. Maybe now Les would be able to start again.

"I ain't making no promises, Tank," Lester said. "Besides, we wouldn't be like the A Team any more if I were sane. Where would we be without me being Murdoc?"

Bones laughed out loud. "Fuck, I know what I'm getting you boys for Christmas: A nice black van with a red stripe down the side."

"Fuckin' A!" Tank said with a grin.

"You notice that there was never any blood in the A team?" Lester mused. "And no one ever died either."

* * *

**Monday 21.39PM Trenton New Jersey**

My team donned their night vision and pushed past me, slipping out the door into the gun range. With the power out, I figured that the chance of 

there being anyone down here was slim. We were pretty much safe until we got to the parking garage. With no clue as to the whereabouts of people in the building we were going to have to clear the floors one at a time.

I watched as Winter, Danny and Bailey glided silently into the garage; Winter on point, with Danny to his left and Lee to his right. They moved with ease; with that silent confidence of a well gelled unit, a team. They knew what they were doing, and I could tell that they had worked a hell of a lot of jobs together. I understood now why Lee trusted them both so much and why she had turned to Danny in these past few days. The bond they shared was as plain as day in the dark garage.

They spread out across the floor and swept the room, leaving me to follow in their wake. I felt like I was an outsider in my own mission, something that I was not used to and I wasn't sure I liked the feeling. At least I could trust them to be focused on the job in hand, my own thoughts were a mess, and I wasn't sure it was a good idea for me to be the rear guard. I gave myself a mental slap and pulled myself together, locking my emotions down and getting in my zone. It was time to go to work.

The garage was clear, and we ended up congregating at the elevator and the stair well door. The power outage meant that the electronic door locks had failed and every door in the building should just open. I guess that it was a blessing in disguise really, as we could have encountered problems getting past all the electronic locks without alerting anyone to our presence.

Winter pulled a fibre optic camera from a pocket in his black fatigues and fed it under the door. Bailey handed him her hi-tech secure phone that no doubt had capabilities to hack into anything and everything, and Winter connected it to the camera. An image of the stair well popped up on the phone's small screen.

Danny peered over Winter's shoulder to look at the tiny picture, and smiled evilly in the darkness. "Sloppy, very sloppy," he whispered. "Not a motion sensor or booby trap in sight.

Winter shook his head and stuck something to the door lock. It beeped a few times and then a light flashed green. "All's quiet on the western front, it's not rigged to blow. We'll repeat this at every door and clear the building a floor at a time."

"It's too fucking quiet," Lee mused. "Maybe they have a parrot?"

Danny sniggered and Winter rolled his eyes.

I looked over at them for more information, and Winter shook his head. "Don't ask, trust me."

He eased the door open silently and Danny covered him as he stepped into the stairwell.

* * *

The building was as silent as a grave, and that unnerved me a little. I glanced down at my watch. 9.49pm, time was ticking away and there was no sign of the enemy. The first three floors had been clear, and next up was my men's apartments.

I had three men who lived on the fourth floor who could have been in the building; Cal, Ram and Zero. We swiftly swept the eight apartments on that floor and they were all empty. I was praying to God that those boys were down at Shorty's and not anywhere else in the building.

The three of them were pretty tight, and I suspected that they were shooting pool and sinking a few beers. That was where they did most nights when they were not working, but now was not the time to speculate. We needed to secure the rest of the building and time was of the essence.

The fifth floor was what was really worrying me. I should have two men on that floor, and the building was still silent. Winter checked the door for possible threats, but like all the others so far, there was nothing.

I touched him on the shoulder and signalled for him to move out of the way. I wanted to take point on this floor. Winter stepped back and I felt Bailey move up behind me to cover me.

Danny clicked the door open and it swung into the dark foyer. I hugged the door jamb and swept high, whilst Lee swept low. Nothing. Not a sight or a sound of any movement. Where were my men?

My office was clear, as was Tank's. And then we got to the bank of security monitors. Fuck!

Vince was slumped in his chair. Dead. One shot to the head. I peeled a glove off and reached out a shaking hand, touching his arm. Cool, but not cold. He'd not been down that long.

Bailey slowly rolled Woody over. There was no need to check for a pulse. He'd taken one to the upper arm and one to the chest. He'd died with his gun in his hand, but I strongly suspected that neither of them had seen this coming. Neither of them had got a shot off that was for sure.

Winter dropped his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged him off. Shit! I drew in a shaky breath and blew it out slowly. Woody and Vince were dead and there was nothing I could do about it. I was too late again. Now was not the time to deal with this I admonished myself. I slammed my emotions down hard and fast, and we cleared the rest of the floor.

Back in my office the four of us took stock of the situation. I had two men dead and Ella and Louis were also missing. Plus we had to assume that Junior and Erik were on the loose somewhere in the building. They had to be above us.

"They must have taken out your two guys on the monitors before they shut the system down," Winter mused. "They wouldn't have wanted to risk either of your men calling another office.

"True," I replied. I had a sinking feeling about what we would find further up the building, but I didn't feel like voicing my concerns.

Bailey looked over at me, reading my thoughts as usual. "We won't know what the situation is until we get there, Ric. I know this sucks, but we need to get moving."

I nodded. "I know, let's get this over with."

* * *

There can come a point on a mission when something happens and it changes everything and shakes you to the very core. You know that the thing, whatever it is, will seriously affect you and the way you look at the world for the rest of your life. I'd just hit that point with this job.

Luis was dead. Clean shot to the head while he was sat on the sofa, most likely watching the game. But what I didn't understand was why they'd had to kill him when he had done nothing wrong. My anger and rage was bubbling to the surface, and I wanted to wrap up this fucked up mess. Junior and Erik were in for some serious payback. They would die, be it by my hand, or by the hands of my crew and it would not be quick and painless. They would wish that they had never been born.

Poor Ella, how the hell was I going to explain all this to her? She'd lost her husband of over twenty years for no fucking reason. Of Ella herself, there was no sign, then I remembered that it was Monday and she'd be visiting her sister in Newark. Thank God she was safe. A quick glance at my watch told me that she would be back in about an hour, and I wanted Junior and Erik dealt with and us out of the building by then.

"So if we've accounted for most of the building, where the hell are your two rats?" Danny quizzed.

"I have no idea," I mused. "We'll clear my apartment just to make sure, it's the only place left for them to be. But what they want in my apartment, I have no idea. There's nothing of value or importance up there."

"Okay, we'll clear your place, and then we can get the fuck out of dodge and on the next flight to anywhere but here," Bailey said with a sigh. "I know it sucks, but letting Ella or some of your guys discover this mess is 

by far the best plan. If the casualties are non- existent in Miami and we can keep that quiet, then this will just look like an isolated incident. We can dump what's left of Junior and Erik in the sewers and move the bodies at a later date if we have to. I'll remove the finger tips and teeth and we can drop them by the warehouse. No one will be able to make a connection that way."

"Affirmative. Let's get this shit cleared up," I said grimly.

* * *

"No! We'll take point," Winter growled.

We were back in my office coming up with a game plan. The two traitors had been located in my apartment, and I was itching to get my hands on them. They'd lit the place up like a Christmas tree with emergency lanterns, and were obviously looking for something.

"You have too much at stake, Ric. Let us take point and once they are secure you can have at them. As far as they are aware, you are dead," Winter pressed. "I think it will be better for Danny and I to surprise them, as they have no idea who we are."

"Okay," I conceded. "I'm just angry."

"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the dark side," Danny quipped.

Bailey rolled her eyes.

"Come on Yoda, let's get moving," Winter said with a sigh.

"Frustration I sense from my young padawan," Danny grinned.

"Padawan? Fuck that, man." Winter hissed. "You're my apprentice, bitch."

"Gentlemen," I admonished, "The mission, the job in hand?"

"Yes boss," Danny said, giving me a mock salute.

The two lunatics slipped out of the door and disappeared into the dark stairwell.

"Are they-"

"Always like that? Pretty much, Ric."

"Did I say that I was sorry for what happened in Scotland?" I asked.

"No, but there is no need, it wasn't your fault. You are not to blame, so don't beat yourself up over it," Bailey said with a tight smile.

"If there is anything I can do-"

"Apart from paying for a very long holiday to somewhere warm and sunny, there isn't. Can we change the subject please?"

"Sure, Lee. I just-"

"Shut up, Ric."

Bailey walked over to the window and stared out across the city, trying her best to ignore my presence. I hovered in the doorway, waiting for the call that everything was secure upstairs.

The second hand crawled around the clock on my office wall a few times, and then suddenly comm link crackled to life, shattering the tense silence.

"Need you up here ASAP," was all that Winter said.

* * *

I pulled my gun and stepped into the entry hall, ripping off my night vision goggles as I went. Erik was face down on the carpet, stunned unconscious. Danny was watching over him with a dark look on his face. I found Winter in the lounge standing over a downed Junior.

"She's in your bedroom," Winter told me without clarifying who she was.

I slid my gun away and made my way to my room, coming to a standstill in the doorway. Steph was lying on my bed, bound, but thankfully fully clothed. A dark bruise blossomed on her cheek and her lip was split

She looked up at me through frightened eye and I crossed the room in three strides. I pulled out my combat knife and cut Steph's restraints, then hauled her into my arms and held her tight.

"Babe," I whispered. What the hell was she doing here? How did Junior get a hold of her?

I felt her body shake, wracked with sobs and I held her tighter. "I got you babe, you're safe now."

"You need to get her out of here, Ric. We have shit to do," Bailey stated tersely from behind me. Trust Lee to bring me back down to earth with a bump.

"Damn, this fucks things up babe, you need to go," I murmured into Steph's hair.

Steph pulled away slightly, a dazed look upon her marred face. "I don't understand," she sobbed. "What's going on?"

"Sorry honey, but you're a big fuck up factor in our plans, and what you don't know won't hurt you." Bailey stated. "Does anyone know that you are here tonight?"

Steph shook her head a fraction "Please, Ranger... I don't understand. Junior asked me to stay late tonight, he said he wanted to talk to me. You'd stopped calling, I thought you were dead and that-"

"Takes a lot to kill me, Steph," I murmured.

"Where's your car Stephanie? I didn't see it in the garage," Bailey pressed.

"In the shop, why? What is going on, are you leaving again?" Her lower lip trembled and I brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Great, that's even better," Bailey said looking at me and ignoring Steph. "Who can you trust to pick Steph up and give her an alibi?"

"Lula," I replied.

"Right, make the call, we've got about an hour tops to get finished up here, and I want to make every minute count."

"What's going on, Ranger?" Steph pleaded.

I had never seen her so scared, and if we had been much longer I could have lost her for good. Junior had really meant to carry out the sick payback plan on behalf of his boss.

"A total cluster fuck, that's what," Bailey muttered.

"Okay Steph, I haven't got much time, so I'll keep this short. The mission was a set up and the guys that set us up think that we are all dead. Junior helped set us up, and it seems that Erik was helping him too. The plan now was to take out the building and try and fuck up what's left of Rangeman. God only knows what would have happened to you if we hadn't have gotten here when we did," I said.

Steph was silent for a moment, taking in what I had just said to her. Eyes huge, pupils dilated, mouth open in disbelief. "Where's everyone else, and who the hell are the two scary looking guys with you?"

"Tank, Bobby, Les and Bones are en route to Miami and Mac and Snake are in Missouri. Those two scary looking guys are Winter and Danny, one of the usual crews that I work with," Bailey stated.

"Do I really look that scary?" Danny said from the doorway, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Behave bro," Lee scolded.

"Where do you want to do this, little girl?" Winter asked from behind Danny.

Bailey thought about his question for a minute. "Change of plan. Let's take them back to the warehouse. That way we'll have more time to have fun," Lee said with a Machiavellian grin.

"And less mess to clear up too," Danny chipped in.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Winter agreed. "Ric?"

I nodded. "Yeah, less to contaminate the crime scene."

"Do you want to fill me in on what's going on?" Steph asked, looking totally bewildered and more than slightly apprehensive.

"No, you are going home. And if you are questioned by the police, you will tell them that you spent the night with Lula at her place. Understand?"

"I don't like being told what to do, Ranger," Steph whispered. "I'm tired and hurting, but please don't shut me out and tell me what to do." She looked dead on her feet, and about a minute from passing out. I really needed to get her out of here and into a secure environment. It really was in her best interests this time.

"And I don't give a flying fuck," Winter snapped. "You're not badly injured, so you have no need to be here. Right now, all you are is another fucking complication to this FUBAR'd mess"

Steph gasped at the harshness of his words and another tear ran down her cheek.

"I'll start checking for and wiping any prints that don't belong up here," Danny announced.

"I'll take the trash to the sewer opening. I'll see you guys down there," Winter said as he vanished from the room.

"Make the call, Ric, we're on the clock here. We need to get out of Trenton stat. I'm going to give Winter a hand with the trash," Bailey said.

I pulled out my cell and handed it to Steph. "Call Lula. Tell her to come and pick you up on the corner of Main and Fourth, without her stereo blaring that is. She needs to take you home and she needs to put her radio on just before she drops you off. You have to be seen and heard leaving her car and going into Morelli's house. That should give you a pretty good alibi, but I doubt that anyone will dig that deep. I need to deal with another couple of little problems first, and then we'll all be back in a few days, a week at the most."

"I still don't understand what is going on," Steph whispered.

"That's a really good thing, babe. Trust me. The less you know, the less you can tell anyone."

She glanced up and stared into my eyes, suddenly she looked very angry. "You don't trust me, do you?"

"I never said that, did I?" I gritted out. Now was not the time for her to have a pity party. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration and continued, "If you don't know what is going on then no one can get information out of you that you don't know. Look, I know that you want answers, but that is just not possible. I have to finish up the job here and then leave in the next hour or so. If anyone asks, you have not seen me. I trust you to tell Lula only the basics. It's a need to know situation right now, but you can tell her that Tank was alive and well the last time I saw him."

"You will explain this to me once you get back, right?"

"No."

I may as well have just slapped her. The look on her bruised face was one of shock and hurt. "Why not Ranger?"

"Because there are some things in life that you are better off not knowing, babe. It's nothing personal, so don't turn this into something that it isn't. Call Lula. I need to help clear this place up," I said as I walked out of the bedroom. I was tired and my adrenalin was fading. For once I just wished that she would let me keep her safe, out of the line of fire. Yet she had to keep pushing, and it was really making me lose my patience.

"I'm nearly done, Ric," Danny called out as I got to the kitchen. "It's mostly clean; your office was the worst hit. Shut the door behind you when you're done, we'll see you in the gun range."

I nodded in response and snagged a bottle of water from the fridge.

Steph appeared a moment later and handed me my phone. She looked tired, and her tone was flat. "She'll pick me up in ten minutes."

"Good. I'll see you to the garage. I'd walk you over to the pickup, but I don't want to blow my cover."

"You're going to kill Junior and Erik aren't you?" she asked.

I gave her my blank look, remaining silent.

"Just like you killed Abruzzi?" she pressed.

I kept my mouth shut. I was not going to have this conversation with her now.

The strong and bold Steph I knew was roaring back to life. "Did you kill Abruzzi, Ranger?"

I pondered on how to answer for a second, and then replied. "No."

"But I thought..."

"Nothing but rumours," I stated.

"But why kill Junior and Erik? I just don't get it. Why can't you call the police and let them arrest them?"

"Look babe," I snapped, "I've been set up by someone working for the government. This shit runs real deep and it's way out of the league of the local cops. The best thing to do is let them think this was a hit by one of my many enemies while I'm out of town. It's a lot easier to tie up any lose ends that way. Believe me, this is the only way to deal with this fucking mess."

"You could turn them over to the government."

I sighed. This was why I kept my distance from Stephanie Plum. She would never accept the things I had done or would do in the future. "You need to go, Steph."

"What would you do if I went to the cops and told them what had happened here tonight?" she quizzed.

Shit! Why the hell won't she stop pushing me? I was running on empty and the adrenaline had now long since faded. I just looked at her.

"Would you shoot me, just like you are going to shoot Junior?" she pressed.

"I'm not going to shoot Junior, babe."

"So you get someone else to do your dirty work for you then?" she spat. "Can't you pull the trigger yourself?"

I knew that she was hurting and that she was scared, but she had just crossed the line. "I don't need a gun to kill someone, Stephanie," I growled as I grabbed her arm and steered her towards the door.

She wrenched her arm free and looked at me. "Just who are you, Ranger?"

"A mercenary, an opportunist and when it suits me, a killer. Happy now?" I hissed.

Steph swallowed audibly and took a step away from me.

At that very moment I knew that we would never ever work. She could never accept who I was, and I couldn't be in a relationship like that.

"You need to leave," I said.

I won't tell the police Ranger, I promise. I didn't-"

"Go, Stephanie."

She looked up at me, fear and what may have been sadness washed over her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself at the last second. She grabbed a lantern from the side board and ran out of the door. Her sobs echoing in the stairwell as she went down the stairs.

I was a bastard, but I'd have to analyize this cluster fuck at length later. I glanced at my watch. Shit, Ella would be back soon. One day I would tell Ella the truth, I owed her that much. I'd lost three men tonight and I'd lost Steph too. For a while I thought that Bailey had been right, that I needed someone who walked in the light to balance me out. But right now it felt that only someone who walked in the dark would accept me for who I truly was.

I knew what I was though. Alone.




	20. Chapter 20

A/N: This is it, ladies – the final chapter! Please bear with me here as I need to thank a few people for all their help over the last 10 months.

Beth H – Without your support I never would have started writing in the first place. Thank you babe!

Trish – Beta extraordinaire, suggester of stuff and supplier of millions of USA facts and info. Trish, you are a star.

Em – for kicking my butt on a regular basis and keeping me on track.

Kev – For letting me play with Jer and Kelly and for all your help with suggestions, listening to me whine, your vital input on the last few chapters, and supplying info on Miami. Girl, you rock!

Lastly, thanks to everyone who has read this fic, enjoyed it and reviewed. I would like to thank you all for sticking with this story for so long and accepting it as it is. I know it's not a babe story, but your support has helped me keep writing and learn to ignore those who didn't like it and who chose to tell me just how much they hated it. Happy reviews feed muses, nasty reviews kill them. If it wasn't for all of you, this story wouldn't have made it past the first few chapters.

So, this really is the end, everyone. I have had a hell of a lot of fun writing this fic, in fact I'm almost sad that it is over. There will be a sequel, and I can assure you that it will continue in the same vein as this. I hope to start that when I've finished off a couple of my other fics, but the plot is stewing nicely in my head, so I doubt it will be long before I am itching to get started on it.

As always, warnings for language, violence and angst.

Cat

* * *

**Tuesday 02.14AM Just north of Miami**

"Okay Mac, I've got all that, I'll let the guys know," I said, and hung up.

Lester looked over at me, fear streaking though his blue eyes momentarily. "Bobby, have we got news?" he asked apprehensively.

I nodded. "Yeah."

Man, I hated to be the bearer of ill tidings. Some nasty shit had gone down tonight. But, putting it in context, I guess it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

I took a deep breath and psyched myself up to deliver the bad news. "In short, Trenton had lost three men by the time Ric and his crew got in the building, Vince, Woody and Luis. Junior had also kidnapped Steph, thankfully, she was unhurt."

"Son of a fucking bitch!" Tank yelled.

"Sweet Jesus," Bones muttered.

Lester was silent; head leant back against the head rest of the seat, his eyes half closed. Slowly, he turned to look at me and drew a shaky breath. "Shit," he murmured. "How could Junior do that to the guys? He wanted Ric to pay for Pete's death, but killing Vince and Woody? Man, that's fucking cold. And Luis? Shit, he'd never done anything to harm Junior. Oh God, poor Ella. Ric must be heartbroken, and very, very pissed."

"He was, and most likely still is," I stated. "His team took out the trash, set Steph up with an alibi; sending her off with Lula, and got the hell out of there. They're gonna head down here ASAP; flight gets in about 9.30AM.

"The Miami office managed to withstand an assault from ten thugs that Clayton hired. No fatalities on our side, just a couple of minor flesh wounds. The bad guys surrendered when they realised that they were outnumbered and out gunned. Four were escorted to the MPD on outstanding warrants, three were dumped at the ER and the other three were released. C.J doesn't think that there will be any repercussions. The virus that caused their system failure was planted by one of the secretaries. Her boyfriend works for Black Hawk.

"Mac wants us to head straight to Black Hawk and settle our debt with Clayton. Ric and the guys will meet up with us at the Miami office in the morning, and then we'll put together a plan to deal with Richmond," I explained.

Tank cracked his knuckles, a sure sign he was pissed. "Right, sounds like a plan to me. I hope that Junior and his little friend suffered. I still can't believe that they pulled this shit off so fast, that we lost men and that they got a hold of Steph."

I smiled evilly. "Mac reported that both Junior and Erik went through a shit load of pain before they died. Bailey did an impressive carving job on Junior; almost skinned him alive and then made him unravel his own intestines. Bastard was screaming in agony by all accounts; begging and pleading for them to forgive him. Ric finally shot him to put him out of his misery.

"Winter and Danny chopped Erik into bits. He'd lost both his eyes, his tongue, his balls and both his hands before he bled out. Danny and Lee removed Junior and Erik's fingertips and teeth to prevent easy identification, then cut everything up into small bits and dumped the remains in the sewers beneath the warehouse.

"The plan is to go back when the heat has died down a bit and dispose of them properly. But in the mean time, if they are discovered, it's going to take a lot of time for anyone to figure out who they are. Even then, there will be nothing to tie their deaths to Ric and the guys."

Bones chuckled as he steered the truck down the highway. "Sweet, I knew Lee and her boys would do us proud. They're damn good at taking out the trash."

"You've worked with them?" I asked, slightly bewildered. I didn't think anyone had worked with Winter and Danny before.

"No, but we had a few problems in Boston about a year ago. Needed to clear up a lot of shit and Lee needed some help. We don't get involved in stuff like that; bad for our reputation. She can, as she doesn't exist. If you check, she's not actually on the payroll, so she does our dirty work. Lee called in a couple of her guys to help out and the Boston underground was quaking in its' boots for months. The rumours of what that crew did spread like wild fire and the scum were very well behaved after that."

"I'll bet," Tank grinned. "We could do with using that lot to clear up Comstock and Stark every now and then. The Trenton crime rate would drop over night."

"Fuck, don't give them any ideas," Bones snorted. "They'll kill anything for nothing, well almost – they don't come cheap. Their morals went out the window a long time ago."

"I wonder if Bailey has a heart left at all," Lester mused.

"Santos has it bad," Tank teased.

"Fuck off, Tank," Lester muttered.

"He's right man," I said. "Playboy Lester is finally falling for someone."

"You poor bastard," Bones laughed. "She's gonna eat you for breakfast."

"I wish she would," Lester murmured. "Since the Russians - after they - after what happened on Friday, I think she's gonna be – I don't know..."

"An emotional wreck?" I offered.

"Yeah," Lester said with a nod. "I want to be there for her, but she's turned to Danny in these last few days. I just wish that she'd talk to me."

"Danny's like a brother to her," Bones stated. "She feels comfortable with him. I doubt that she's gonna be very trusting of men right now, so I'd give her a while and she'll eventually come around. If you want to be with her then you'll need to give her time and space. Trust me Les, I've know that girl for a long time."

"What happened with her and Snake?" Lester enquired.

"They spent some time together, had a few tumbles between the sheets and then Snake decided that he wanted a family at some point. Lee took care of some business for my family and Snake freaked out. Stupid idiot suddenly realised that Bailey was not wife and mother material and made a hasty retreat, tail firmly between his legs. I'll warn you now, Santos, if you want the 2.4 kids and a white picket fence, you're wasting your time," Bones stated coolly.

Lester shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I just want someone who makes me feel alive."

"She'll keep you on your toes, boy. You think you can handle that woman?" Tank teased.

"Oh I can handle that woman alright," Lester said with a shit eating grin. "And she handles me pretty damn well too."

When the hell did they get it on? "You holding out on me bro?" I demanded.

"I don't kiss and tell," Lester said with a smile.

"What utter bollocks," Tank muttered. "All I ever fucking here about is your damn sex life. Different damn woman or women every weekend.

"Not any more, I'm a changed man," Lester stated. "I'll wait for her to get her shit together. She's fucking worth it; I want her in my life."

Well, despite everything Les had been through in the last few days, it looked like the tide was about to turn. Maybe the old Lester would come back to us again. It would be nice to see him again, we'd all missed him.

* * *

**Tuesday 02.32AM Kendall, South of Miami proper near the Black Hawk Offices**

We took the toll road south, bypassing Miami. The Black Hawk offices were just off Dixie, in a small side street behind a strip mall. Bones cruised past the front of the offices, lights blazed from all six floors of the building, but no one was visible from the road.

He pulled up in the rear access lane, hiding the truck in the shadows of the surrounding buildings and killed the engine.

"Well, let's get this cluster fuck wrapped up," Bones said with a grin. "We'll go in through the back and clear each floor. Stun anything that gets in our way and then go finish Clayton. Make him wish that he'd never set Ric up or planned to take over Rangeman."

We all nodded in agreement. "Let's go nail the fucker," I announced as I slid out of the truck and went to gear up.

I partnered with Lester, it was just the way things were. Despite everything that had happened to him over the years, I still trusted him to watch my back. Bones was Tank's shadow; well, more like Bones was in Tank's shadow, but that's how we paired up.

Tank picked the back door lock swiftly and we stepped inside. We had no schematics, so we'd have to do this blind. Still I didn't see there being that many people in the building at nearly 3AM.

Something was wrong. I could tell almost instantly, and so could the rest of the guys. We all gripped our weapons tightly and moved into the building.

The reception desk was unmanned. Or so we thought. The man lay on the floor, dead. There was a single knife wound to his chest, the blade must have pierced his heart, killing him instantly. There were no signs of a struggle, so he'd obviously been unaware of the attack. Which meant that the attack must have come from inside the building.

"Looks like Bailey's friends have been busy," Bones commented.

"I hope they left Clayton alive for us," Tank growled.

"So do I," Lester hissed. "That bastard is mine."

We found four more bodies before we located Clayton's office, all had been stabbed once in the chest; a clean, precise shot to the heart. The mercenaries who were working with Lee were damn good. The dead men had never even got a single shot off; they'd died where they fell.

The sounds of low voices drew us along the corridor to Clayton's domain. I paused outside the door, listening. Suddenly the door flew open and I looked into the face of a long haired Native American.

"Wondered when you guys would show up," he said with a wry smile.

I looked past him to see Clayton Nevis tied to his office chair; a makeshift gag stuffed him his mouth. His face was a mask of blood and his shirt stained and torn. The other guy who was working for Lee was sitting on the huge desk. His blonde hair drifted over his eyes, hiding half his face, while he picked at his nails with a large knife.

I held out my hand tentatively, "Bobby Brown, my partner Lester, Tank and Bones. Our boss said that we might find you here."

The man sitting on the desk grinned and swung his feet to the floor. "Shade said to leave this piece of shit for you to deal with," he said, indicating Clayton as he came over and shook my hand. "I'm Jaguar by the way and that's Darkness. We need to get moving pretty soon, none of us need to be seen here."

"Very true," Bones agreed. "I take it the bodies down stairs are your handy work?"

Darkness nodded. "You sure you want to finish Mr Nevis? We'd be happy to do it for you."

"That bastard is mine," Lester growled as he drew one of Bailey's knives from a wrist sheath. "No one touches him but me, got that?"

Lester stalked towards Clayton, oblivious to anyone in the small office. He ran the tip of the razor sharp knife down Clayton's cheek and a thin line of blood welled up in the cut.

"Bailey sends her regards," he whispered menacingly as he cut Clayton's lip open. Clayton moaned through his gag and strained at his bonds.

"Does that hurt?" he hissed. "I fucking hope so, you bastard. You messed with the wrong crew when you set Ric up."

He ripped the gag away and Clayton gasped in pain. "I always thought you were a twat," Lester continued, "but I guess I'm missing something somewhere. You wanna tell me why you set my cousin up?"

Clayton kept silent, causing Lester to bury the knife into the arm of the chair, straight though the back his hand.

Clayton screamed and Lester back handed him. "I may not have a lot of time, but that doesn't mean that you aren't going to suffer, you cunt. Maybe if you explain your twisted little plan to me, I might go easy on you. So, I'll ask once again: Why did you set Ric up?"

Clayton glared and kept silent.

"You'll talk eventually," Lester said with an evil grin as he stabbed the knife straight through Clayton's other hand, wiggling it back and forth a little.

The prisoner finally broke. "We wanted his business," Clayton gritted out. His forehead was beaded with sweat and he looked pale and very frightened.

"Who's we? You and that brother of yours?"

Clayton nodded once.

"So this is a personal vendetta?" Tank asked. "You never could stand someone else being better than you, could you?"

Clayton looked over at him. "I always lived in Ricardo Manoso's fucking shadow. I had hoped that Phoenix would finish him, but he even survived that."

"You set us up?" I growled. "You fucking bastard!" Pete and Manny died because he set us up, Lester and I suffered for days at the hands of our captors, and all because this piece of shit was pissed at being upstaged by Ric and his team?

I glanced around the room at the guys in it, three men I trusted with my life, and two that Bailey trusted with hers. "Come on, let's leave Les with that scum. We'll deal with the other bodies and then we can get the hell out of here."

No one argued with me as we trooped out of the room, leaving Lester to settle old scores for the team. He needed closure more than anyone else. Maybe after this he could start to heal.

Clayton's screams echoed down the corridor as we walked away. We ignored them.

"Wanna tell me what's going on?" Darkness asked.

"It seems that a long time ago in a place a long way away, that little shit sold us out and set us up," Tank said. We lost two men and two more were captured and tortured. Now eight years later, he and his brother tried to finish the job they started back then. They failed again, but it still cost us a hell of a lot.

"We've been on the run for the last few days, presumed dead. Got three of the crew injured in the process. The whole job was a set up from the start. We never stood a chance; they were one step ahead of us all the way through. The guys will heal, but the shit they pulled with Bailey – least one of the ones responsible suffered before he died."

In the blink of an eye, Darkness had Tank shoved up against the wall, the tip of a knife pressed to his cheek. Both Bones and I reached towards our guns.

"You will tell me what happened to her!" Darkness demanded.

"Easy, man. They're on our side. Whatever happened can't have been their fault, Lee would have said something if it was. Remember – she said that she trusted these guys," Jaguar soothed.

Darkness let go of Tank and stepped back. I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves, even from ten feet away.

Tank swallowed and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "They raped her and cut her up. I swear to you, there was nothing we could do to stop it."

Darkness looked sick momentarily, before a blank mask shot into place. "Your word that they are all dead?"

Tank nodded. "Ric took out one and Winter and Danny dealt with the other. I promise."

Darkness seemed to accept his words, but still looked angry. Jaguar touched him on his arm lightly. "There's nothing more to be done, man."

"Clayton's brother is still alive?" Darkness asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, he's next on our shit list."

"We'll deal with him ourselves. We'll come back to your Miami base with you and get the Intel we need to finish this.

None of my crew seemed to want to argue with the pissed off mercenary, we weren't that dumb. Sure we had done some crazy shit over the years, but Darkness and Jaguar were in a league of their own, and even we would be fools to tangle with them. If these two wanted to go on a Richmond Nevis hunt, I was not going to stand in their way.

* * *

**Tuesday 1.45 PM Rangeman Miami Offices - Ranger Manoso's Private Apartment**

We'd make the trip from Trenton in good time and caught up with the rest of the team over breakfast. Our adrenaline had faded and post mission weariness was beginning set in, so I was thankful that Darkness and Jaguar had offered to take out Richmond Nevis for nothing.

All that was left for us to do now was sit tight until the contract on Nevis was completed and then we would be home free. We could reappear and return to our normal lives, or as normal as they would ever get these days.

And what now? My government contract was over; I was a free man. Funny, but I had always expected to feel different when it was finally over, but at the end of the day I felt the same as usual. Maybe it just needed more time to sink in, maybe I just needed to get used to it?

C.J and Toni were in good shape, and I was thankful that the damage to my Miami office was minimal. We'd only sustained a couple of flesh wounds. Maybe I should have been insulted that Clayton sent a bunch of amateurs after the Miami boys, then again it had been a blessing in disguise.

The Miami office plant had been one of the secretaries; the girlfriend of a Black Hawk guy, no less. Winter and Danny were planning on hunting the pair of them down and tying up the loose ends there.

Maybe I was getting cold hearted in my old age, but their deaths didn't bother me in the slightest. An eye for an eye, anything to keep my men safe. My moral code was shifting slightly, and it didn't bother me, I just felt empty inside.

Address in hand, Winter and Danny slipped away into Miami heat. Once the job was done, they were going, heading off in the sunset so to speak. Who knew when I would see them again. Winter had told me that anytime I needed help, I just had to call. And if I wanted a bit of fun, to call as well, they could always use an extra man on their jobs. Maybe a change of scenery wouldn't be such a bad thing right now.

Jer and Kelly, the infamous Darkness and Jaguar had hung around long enough to assure themselves that Bailey was okay physically, and for her to set them up with an untraceable wire transfer for their fee. On the plus side, they were dealing with Richmond for free, one little problem I didn't have to worry about. And I knew that their word was good, they'd finish this whole job for me. I'd heard from Bobby what they had done over at the Black Hawk offices and I had no doubts that they could track Richmond Nevis down and deal with him.

Tank and Bones had crashed, both shattered after the last few days, while Lester was trying to climb inside a bottle of vodka. Bobby was staying up to keep an eye on his partner, hoping that he wouldn't choke on his own vomit.

The revelation that Manny's death had been nothing more than a vendetta had hit Lester hard. Clayton had suffered horrendously at Lester's hand before he finally bled out. I was hoping that Lester would at last find some peace and be able to move on. When that would happened, I had no idea. Something else had happened tonight that had sent him on his drinking binge: Bailey was gone.

Somewhere in all the chaos of tying up all the last bits of the job, she had simply vanished. I didn't know if she had gone with Winter and Danny, or Jer and Kelly, or on her own. What I did know was that she seemed on good terms with Darkness and the look of rage on his face when he saw the state she was in was something that would stick in my mind for a very long time.

For the first time in four years, I had no idea where she was at. And that worried me a little. She was the dark. She walked in it and she lived it, and God help me, it called to my twisted soul. Deep in my gut I knew that no matter where she was, someone would be watching out for her, and that in time she'd come back. I doubted that she'd ever be the same again, but I knew that she'd pick herself up and dust herself down and carry on with life.

I felt that now more than ever I was stuck in the dark for eternity. Steph was with Morelli and I knew that was the best place for her. She could never walk in my world, I couldn't do that to her. She wasn't my girlfriend or even my lover, and Junior had still used her to extract revenge for something I had done. I would never have been able to live with myself if something had happened to her last night. I still cared for her, hell even a small piece of my heart loved her. And that was the problem, I cared for her enough that I could never ever stand to see her get hurt because of something I had done in my past or something I would do in the future.

I hoped that she could find happiness with Morelli, and that maybe there was someone out there for me, someone I wouldn't have to worry about, who could keep herself safe, but I strongly doubted it. At the end of the day, shit happened and life sucked. And then Winter's parting lines to me echoed in my head:

"If you love someone, set them free, Ric," he had said with a wistful smile, and the look of a man who knew just how I was feeling right now.

"You know," he'd continued, "sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but at the end of the day, all's fair in love and war."


End file.
